Fated
by weshallflyaway
Summary: "They say Paradise is eternal comfort; What should one do, With a place where the heart doesn't throb and burn with the scar of your love?"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: After some very valuable recent remindering by various people (you know how you are!) I've felt increasingly guilty about never finishing this, so here it is finally and while I'll be uploading the many many chapters over a number of days I promise that the final ending will be there at the end ;)**

_They say Paradise is eternal comfort_

_What should one do,_

_With a place where the heart_

_Doesn't throb and burn_

_With the scar of your love?_

(Bedil)

**Chapter 1**

Aalekh is on leave when he receives the call, Neelu has given birth to their second son Jai a week ago, and he has a week left to spend with them before he has to go back to the border.

Neelu watches the expressions on her husband's face. After four years of marriage she knows him inside and out. The way that Aalekh's face falls, the way he closes his eyes briefly in pain, can mean only one thing.

Naina.

When Aalekh hangs up the phone and turns to her, Neelu doesn't even need to ask what it's about.

"Go as quickly as you can." She tells him, "I'll be waiting for you when you get back."

Aalekh nods, thankful that she's so understanding. He quickly packs a bag, and then kisses Neelu and baby Jai goodbye, before going to the next room where four year old Veeru is sleeping, kissing him too and smoothing the little boy's hair.

"I'll be back as soon as possible." Aalekh tells Neelu, "But I don't know how long…" and his voice breaks.

Neelu looks at her husband, her heart aching when she sees the pain written on his face. "Stay there as long as you need to." She tells him.

"Can you call the others?" he asks her, giving her the address to tell them, and Neelu promises him that she will.

Aalekh drives at breakneck speed towards his destination, knowing that if he doesn't stop, he can reach there in under five hours. Time is of the utmost importance now, every second counts.

He has been expecting this call for four years now, knowing that sooner or later, though he had always hoped for later, he would receive it.

Naina is dying.

The reason Aalekh was the first to receive the call is that he's officially Naina's next of kin. Her parents died in a car crash two years ago, and Aalekh was Naina's first choice to replace them on the necessary forms.

When he had asked her why, her explanation had been very simple.

"I know you'll have the strength to do whatever is needed." She had told him. Aalekh had prayed that he would never actually need to live up to her expectations.

Five hours later, he pulls up at the army hospital, barely waiting for the car to stop before he jumps out. He runs in, not bothering to stop when the nurse questions him, and heads straight to the ICU.

He can see Naina through the glass, and it's then that the doctor spots him and comes outside the room.

"You must be Captain Aalekh Sharma," the doctor says, and Aalekh nods, still out of breath from his run. "I need to warn you, her chances aren't good. Even if she survives, she's likely to go into a coma that she might not wake from."

"Can I see her?" Aalekh asks him, not really caring what the answer is but feeling that he should ask anyway. Nothing will stop him from reaching her side right now.

"Yes," the doctor replies, "But she keeps drifting in and out of consciousness, I'm not sure if she'll be able to talk to you or not."

The permission is all that Aalekh needs and he walks into the room, stopping by the bed to stare down at Naina, who looks impossibly small beside all of the equipment, wires and tubes surrounding her. He already knows what happened to her, she was injured fighting off a terrorist attack. There's internal bleeding, some of her vital organs have already begun to fail, and Naina is fighting a difficult battle for survival.

Somehow Aalekh guesses that she's probably not fighting very hard.

He pulls a hard plastic chair over to her bedside, and sits down, taking her hand. Naina's eyelids flutter before she opens them, looking at Aalekh with a gaze that is clouded, unable to focus properly on his face.

"Hey," she tells him.

"Hey." Aalekh replies, the word getting caught in his throat as he chokes back tears.

"I was waiting for you," Naina tells him and she doesn't need to explain why, Aalekh knows perfectly well.

She was waiting for him so that she could die.

"I'm here now," Aalekh tells her, "You just be strong Naina, fight to live." Aalekh's words sound hollow even to his own ears, and Naina smiles up at him sadly.

"You're the one who's always been strong, Aalekh." She tells him, "And you're going to have to be even stronger now."

"Don't do this, Naina." He begs her, "I know you can survive if you choose to, you've got such a strong will, you could always do anything you put your mind to."

But Naina is already fading away, and Aalekh knows that she would prefer to cast herself adrift than cling to the shore. She has already made up her mind, and she's decided that she wants to die.

He has feared and expected this for four years, he has always known that it would happen.

"You have to let me go, Aalekh." Naina tells him, and there is no fear in her voice, only calmness, and a peace that he hasn't heard for years. "This is how it was meant to be."

"No," he tells her, crying now, unable to stop the hot tears from slipping down his cheeks, "It was never meant to be like this. It was all a mistake, this was never how it was meant to work out."

"It's too late, Aalekh." Naina tells him tiredly, "It was fated. It was all decided four long years ago."

Aalekh knows that she's telling the truth, because ever since they've graduated from KMA, Naina has always volunteered for the most dangerous work. She threw herself into mission after mission, only taking leave when she was forced to. Aalekh knows because he accompanied her on some of those missions, tried his best to keep her safe time and again.

All of this time Aalekh has known that she's been trying to kill herself without actually committing suicide. Her parents dying two years ago was the last straw, from then on she saw no real obligation to stay alive.

It was all decided four years ago, because four years ago was when Captain Rajveer died.

And for these past four years, Naina has been dying over and over again, praying for a final blow to finish her off.

Aalekh wonders what they could've done differently to prevent all of this from happening. In the end it doesn't matter, because nobody can change the past anyway.

Captain Rajveer had left the academy to meet with the Boss, in order to try and get the evidence that would prove Navin innocent. Naina had found his note too late, and Aalekh still remembers the look on her face as she read it, the way she had turned so pale he thought she would faint, and how she had run from the academy, taken one of the jeeps and driven off after telling him to bring help.

By the time Aalekh and the others had arrived, it was all over.

They had found Naina sitting in the middle of the road, with Captain Rajveer half lying in her lap as she stroked his hair with a blank look on her face. Her clothes were stained with his blood, and one cheek was smeared with it as well.

Dr Shalini had stared at the scene, her face turning white. "He's already dead." She had whispered, and Aalekh had realised that it was true.

Naina hadn't moved, hadn't responded when they called her name. Realising that she was in shock, Shalini had moved forward to take Captain Rajveer's pulse, hoping that she had been wrong.

But he was already gone.

"Come on Naina," Shalini had told her kindly, trying to keep the tears out of her voice, "Let's go back to the academy. We have to move Captain Rajveer."

Naina had looked at Shalini blankly, as if she had no idea what the doctor had just said to her. Shalini had gestured to the other cadets to help her and Aalekh and Huda had moved forward, intending to move Captain Rajveer.

It was then that Naina began to scream, screams filled with such agony and grief that everybody who heard her could feel their hearts breaking. Pooja had already been crying, but after hearing Naina she collapsed to the ground sobbing, while Ali tried to help her.

When they again tried to move Captain Rajveer, Naina lashed out with her hands, refusing to let anybody near him, she bent over him as if trying to protect his body, sobbing into his hair.

Shalini had had no other choice, she injected Naina with a strong tranquiliser, knocking her out and they had brought both Naina and the Captain back to KMA. The whole academy had been in mourning, and five hours later when Naina finally woke up, her friends had been there, ready to try and comfort her, wanting to know what had happened.

But Naina never said a word.

There was one month left until graduation, and in that one month Naina never spoke once. At Captain Rajveer's funeral she had cried silently, but did not say a single thing. From then on she participated in drills and attended class, took her exams, even sat with her friends in the mess and ate when they forced her to but never spoke a single word. Pooja would come to the mess every morning with red eyes, heart broken and tired from listening to her friend cry all night.

Naina didn't say anything when Captain Rajveer's photo was hung on the academy's wall of fame but Aalekh had wondered whether it was from that moment onwards that her only ambition in life became to have her photo hung beside his.

Brigadier Chandook had called in a psychiatrist to try to help Naina, but she had still refused to talk. He had even considered sending her home, but Dr Shalini had convinced him that it was better for Naina to remain at KMA.

The first time that Naina spoke again had been at their oath taking ceremony on graduation day. Aalekh had almost forgotten to repeat the words, he had been so stunned to see it. Naina's expression had been hard, as if she was steeling herself for the future and she had repeated the oath word for word.

Immediately after the ceremony, before her friends could even talk to her, she had gone to the armoury and taken a gun. Then she had held it to Major Nair's head and threatened to blow his brains out until he confessed everything. Knowing that she wasn't joking, he had told everybody assembled about his part in the conspiracy and revealed who controlled him.

Naina had managed to avenge Captain Rajveer's death by having those who were responsible punished and proved her brother innocent at the same time. Her friends had hoped that in time it would be enough to help her recover.

But she never had.

Aalekh had hoped that their friendship would have been enough to make her want to live again, but that hadn't been enough either. It was only later that he realized she had fallen so completely apart that it was impossible to pick up the pieces and put them back together again.

And now he sat in an ICU ward, watching his best friend slowly die.

"I kept my promise," Naina tells Aalekh, "I became a good soldier, I became the best soldier. It was the last promise he made me make to him."

Aalekh has never asked Naina what happened the day that Captain Rajveer died, and she has never spoken about it before. It's the one thing that she's never talked about at all, and they've respected that it should remain private for her.

"He would've been proud of you," Aalekh tells her, "But he would've wanted you to live."

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Naina replies, "Because he's already dead so he doesn't get to decide. In the end it was all too late, everything was too late…"

"You know that he…" Aalekh stops suddenly when Naina holds up a hand weakly, almost as if she's begging him not to continue.

"Some things are better left unsaid, Aalekh." She tells him, so very tiredly, as a single tear trickles down her cheek, "In the end what difference does it make what I know or don't know, what I feel or don't feel? It won't change what happened and it won't change what's about to happen."

Even now she won't say it, won't put her love into words. Perhaps it hurts her too much to say the words that the one she loved was never able to hear. Perhaps it's just been too long and after all these years of not saying it she still can't find the strength to speak the truth.

Aalekh knows that it's partially the regret that has been killing Naina. The regret of realising that she loved him far too late and never being able to do anything about it. That regret has eaten away at her soul until there has been nothing left in her life except that one unfulfilled desire, a longing that has slowly killed her.

"I've waited long enough," Naina tells Aalekh, "It's time for me to go now." She looks at him, suddenly able to focus again, her gaze piercing his, "Aalekh, you have to let me go."

"Please Naina, just hang on for a little longer, the others are on their way." Aalekh begs her.

"I don't think I have that much time, Aalekh." She tells him sadly, "You're going to have to say goodbye to them for me. Give them some messages for me, there are some things that need to be said before it's too late."

"Tell me," Aalekh says, knowing that it's the last thing he'll ever be able to do for her. The least he can do is to fulfill her last desire.

"Tell Ali and Pooja that life is too short to spend it waiting for their parents to give in. I want them to get married as soon as possible, their parents will accept it eventually. The shouldn't spend the rest of their lives in regret like I did."

Aalekh nods, unable to speak because of the tears that are building up.

"Tell Huda to move on with his life," Naina tells Aalekh, "It's time that he found a nice girl and settled down. Tell him to never change, never lose that spark, he should remain the same old Huda no matter what."

Naina takes a breath, closing her eyes briefly to try and block out the pain she's feeling.

"Tell Yudi that he's always been the best and bravest man that I know, and that I'm proud of him. There's nothing left in life that he has to prove to anybody. He shouldn't worry so much about what people think."

Aalekh can't help but laugh sadly, here Naina is dying, and she's still trying to sort out everybody else's problems.

"And me?" he asks her, "What advice are you going to give to me?"

"You never needed my advice, Aalekh." Naina tells him faintly, "You were always the strong one, the wise one, the best of us. You always knew the right thing to say and do. Just… try not to drink so much."

"I don't want to let you go, Naina." Aalekh tells her, openly crying now. "What will we do without you?"

"You have to," she tells him, "For my sake. Look after Neelu and your children. You have a family now, Aalekh. That's a precious thing."

"I will, I'll never let them down." Aalekh promises her, "You go to where you're supposed to, Naina. Go to where you're needed, I won't hold you back anymore." He squeezes her hand, and Naina smiles up at him.

"This isn't the end," she promises him, "We'll see each other again."

Aalekh nods, finding that he believes her.

Naina closes her eyes and drifts into a coma.

Three hours later all of their friends have arrived, and Naina is still unconscious. Aalekh tells them what he plans to do.

"You can't take her off life support," Huda replies angrily, "She'll survive this, I know she will."

"It's what Naina wants," Aalekh tells him sadly, "She made me promise that I would do this. It's why she chose me as her next of kin in the first place."

Pooja is crying, holding Naina's hand and begging her to open her eyes.

The rest of them stand there helplessly, staring at their fallen friend.

"Naina gave me messages for all of you," Aalekh announces, and relays them one by one.

Pooja stops crying, and strokes Naina's hair. "Even while going, you're leaving all of us goodbye sms's." she says sadly.

"Then you've decided to support Aalekh's decision?" Huda asks her angrily, "We should keep Naina on life support, you never know, a miracle could happen."

"It's too late for a miracle, it always was." Aalekh tells his friend, "Naina knows where she's meant to be, and right now we have to help her get there."

Ali and Yudi nod their support, both of them holding back tears.

Pooja leans down and kisses Naina on the forehead. "Goodbye my friend," she tells her, "You go to your Shahrukh, at least now nothing should keep you apart."

Huda's shoulders suddenly sag in defeat, as he realises that all of them are right. Naina has only been half alive for these past years. It's only her body that remains here now, it's time to set her spirit free.

One by one they say their goodbyes, bidding farewell to one of the best friends they've ever had. Aalekh is the last to do so; he bends down and whispers in Naina's ear, "We'll meet again, my friend."

Then as Pooja sobs into Ali's chest, and all of them cry, Aalekh turns off the life support.

Just as Naina's heart flat lines, her lips curve upwards in a slight smile.

Aalekh knows that he's done the right thing.

It is fated to be this way. It was all decided a long time ago.

Naina is finally free to go where she's meant to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Year 2033**

Asha Dutt woke from a nightmare that she wasn't able to remember, a scream dying on her lips as she sat up, sweat dripping down from her forehead.

She just hoped that it wasn't a bad sign on the day that she was finally going to be joining her first duty station in the army, the day she had dreamed of for more years than she could count.

Asha had always been different.

She was born the youngest of two boys and three girls, the children of a rich businessman living in Kolkata. Ever since she was young she had felt like an outsider, different to the rest of her family. Even her mother had sometimes worriedly confided to friends about Asha's strangeness.

As a child she had had the most terrible nightmares, waking in the middle of the night screaming, her clothes wet with sweat. Asha could never remember what she had dreamed of and all of the doctors and psychiatrists her parents consulted had been unable to say what was causing it.

As Asha had grown older, the nightmares had gradually stopped, happening only occasionally as it had just now and Asha's parents had hoped that the worst was over and that their daughter would become like the rest of the family. Their other children had all happily accepted the roles decided for them. Their two sons had joined the family business and both of their older daughters had completed undergraduate studies before getting married to the sons of wealthy family friends.

Asha however had different dreams.

Always fiercely independent and quite stubborn, at the age of five she had announced that she wanted to join the army when she grew up. Her parents had hoped that it was a passing phase she would grow out of, but Asha remained determined. Her family had no idea where the desire had come from. None of her relatives were in the army, and neither were any of their friends. Her parents, her brothers and sisters all tried to convince Asha to change her mind but she stood firm.

When she was 19 years old she had gained admission to Barrackpore Military Academy. Her parents had agreed to let her go as they had hoped that she would change her mind after realizing how difficult military training really was. Asha, however, didn't find it difficult at all, she excelled at everything. All of the teachers there were amazed by her ability, she was a fast learner and was able to complete even the most difficult of drills easily. It was no surprise to anybody when she won the best cadet award.

Now after a month on leave, Asha was about to join her new regiment at Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. While India was not formally at war with China, there had been increased tensions lately between the two super-powers. Now that the United States was a less powerful player in world affairs, India, China and the European Union had a far greater influence. While China hadn't made any aggressive moves towards India yet, the population was quite worried now that the neighbouring country had invaded and conquered Burma.

As she got ready for the day ahead, a message arrived on Asha's phone, and pausing to read it she smiled, seeing that it was from her best friend Amiya Chatterjee. The two of them had been roommates at the Academy and had soon become inseparable. It had been a relief for both of them to discover they were being deployed to the same posting as at least they would have each other while they were so far away from home.

Asha quickly sent Amiya a message back, reassuring her that she had gotten up on time and would be meeting her at the troop pick up point on schedule. It had been Amiya's last comment about dealing with their parents' rhona dhona routines that had really made Asha smile. Her parents had never been happy about her joining the military, and now when she was finally about to be posted for the first time, they seemed to be in denial about it happening and kept thinking of new reasons why she shouldn't be going.

The latest one was that she could actually serve her country much better by starting up a business instead, by helping to increase its prosperity. Asha had really rolled her eyes at that one. "Think of it this way, Baba," she told him, "I'll be protecting the people who are increasing the prosperity."

Today was the day that she would join the army properly as a trained soldier and protect the borders and Asha couldn't wait. It was what she had wanted her whole life and today her dream would finally be true. Asha wasn't taking much with her, their uniforms would be provided once they arrived so all she had to pack was some casual clothes for their time off and some small mementos, photos of her family, friends and batchmates.

Finally it was time to bid farewell to her family. She had asked them to say goodbye to her at home instead of at the pickup point, knowing that they were all likely to make a scene, especially her mother. Sure enough, her mother was already crying, and Asha embraced her gently.

"Ma, don't cry." She told her, "I'm going to be perfectly fine, we're not at war right now."

"But what if war breaks out?" her mother asked emotionally, "You're our youngest child, Asha, I couldn't stand it if we lost you. Can't you change your mind?"

"No, Ma." Asha told her, "You know that this is what I want. There's no greater duty than serving your country, you should be proud that you're sending a daughter to do it."

One by one, her brothers, their wives, her sisters, and her nieces and nephews came forward to hug her goodbye. All of them knew that there was no use arguing with Asha, ever since she was born she had never given up until she got what she wanted. The last of all to say goodbye was her father, who hugged her briefly and then looked at her serioiusly.

"Be safe, Asha, and make sure that you keep in contact with us often." He told her, "You know Rajesh will be up there reporting on the situation so at least there'll be somebody there to look after you."

Asha felt like groaning, the last thing she wanted on her first assignment was to have to see Rajesh. She had to see him often enough at her parents' stupid parties anyway. She knew that their families were expecting them to get married eventually, that in fact it was all but arranged already but Asha wasn't one to give in easily and she certainly wasn't about to marry someone that she could barely stand.

"Baba, I'll know Amiya there, remember?" Asha reminded him, "I don't need Rajesh or anybody else to look after me, I'm an officer in the Indian Army."

Her father nodded, "Yes, yes, I know you don't need anybody to look after you." He said reassuringly, but Asha just knew that he would tell Rajesh to look in on her anyway.

At last they said their final goodbyes and the driver dropped Asha and her bag off at the pick up point, where she quickly made sure that her name was crossed off the list and then went in search for Amiya.

It wasn't as easy to find her friend as she had hoped, with more women joining these days choice almost a third of the soldiers waiting to be transferred were female. Finally Asha found Amiya chatting to some of the other new pass outs, these ones from a different academy.

As soon as she saw Asha, she gave her a warm hug.

"We're finally on our way!" Amiya exclaimed, "This is what we trained for two years for, and now we get to prove ourselves." She winked at the girls in front of them, "We'll bring glory to Barrackpore Academy's name!"

Asha laughed at Amiya's enthusiasm. She came from a very patriotic family and was the third of four daughters. Amiya's father had initially been disappointed that he had no son to send to the army, but he had soon realized that he didn't need one when he had a daughter like her.

"Calm down, Amiya." Asha told her, "We haven't even reached the border yet. Let's at least see what the situation is before we start thinking about bringing glory to our academy's name."

"Now that's spoken like the best cadet passout of 2033." Amiya replied with a grin, slinging her arm around Asha's shoulders.

Within half an hour the signal to leave was given and they climbed onto the troop transport aircraft which would be taking them. The journey passed quickly enough chatting to the other soldiers and speculating on what the situation would be once they arrived.

The moment that the aircraft touched down, and Asha stepped off, she had a strong feeling that she was now exactly where she was meant to be. Everything she had done in her life so far, every decision she had made, had been driven by a strong sense of destiny.

There was one thing that Asha believed in life.

Everything that happens is fated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_She was cradling his body in her arms, feeling the warmth leaving it as he slowly turned cold. Sitting there as still as a statue, she could only stroke his hair. Because this wasn't real, it couldn't be. She was going to wake up and find out all this was just a nightmare._

_It wasn't supposed to end like this…_

Asha woke up with a start, the scream dying on her lips. The dream faded before she could remember it properly, leaving her to rub her forehead and look guiltily in Amiya's direction, knowing that she had woken her friend.

"Bad dream again?" Amiya asked, rolling over to turn on the lamp.

Having been Asha's room mate at the academy, she had known about her nightmares. They hadn't happened very often, but when they did, Amiya had always sat up with her, rubbing her back in a calming way until she went back to sleep. Maybe it was because of this that they had become such strong friends, with such unquestioning support between them. For her part, Asha had always been fiercely protective of her friends. She had once punched a senior in the nose when he got too fresh with Amiya, she would always be there for her friends, no matter what.

"Yes…" Asha told her.

"Do you remember what it was about?"

"No," Asha shook her head slowly, "Somebody had died…. But I don't know who, or how. It was so real, I felt as if…" She shook her head slowly, trying to clear the acute feeling of loss the nightmare had brought.

"Go back to sleep." Amiya told her, "It's okay, it was just a dream. You need your rest for the morning, it will be our first day on duty."

"Of course, just a dream" Asha repeated, trying to convince herself that it was true, but it had felt so incredibly real that… "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's no problem, gave me a nice reminder of our academy days." Amiya replied, grinning even as she yawned, "Now think of something nice to give you good dreams."

But Asha lay there for at least an hour more, trying to remember what it was the nightmare had been about. Even now it scared her, the immense grief that she had felt before she woke as if her entire world had ended.

After all of these years, why had she suddenly had two nightmares in two days?

Life in the military base at Tawang was not so different to how life had been at Barrackpore Military Academy. There was the same rush in the morning for showers, the slightly tired soldiers turning up to breakfast to ravenously devour it while trying to finish as quickly as possible. Asha and Amiya tried to meet as many of their new colleagues as possible while they were in the mess, discussing where everybody was from, what academy they had attended and whether this was their first posting or not.

The girls were especially happy to discover that two more of their batchmates, Akash and Vijay had also been posted to Tawang.

"So what do you think we should expect for today?" Amiya asked Asha, "After all, it's our first day officially on duty, are they going to send us patrolling, get us to do some drills or let us take it easy?"

"Well I doubt that they'll be letting us take it easy." Asha told her, "But I did hear that we're scheduled to meet our superior officers at some point today. I think that after that there'll be a briefing on the surrounding areas and the current situation. I doubt they'll assign us to patrols until we've all been properly orientated."

Amiya nodded, she agreed with what Asha was saying. It would be good to have a couple of days to settle in rather than rush into a situation that they didn't understand.

They didn't have to wait too long, within ten minutes of breakfast finishing, there was an announcement that the newest arrivals should assemble on the parade ground in fifteen minutes. Asha smiled at Amiya as if to say 'see, there you go', and they both headed towards the parade ground, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to be early.

As the girls lined up on the parade ground with the rest of the new arrivals, Asha felt a thrill of excitement go through her. She was finally exactly where she was meant to be, doing what she was meant to do. She had never felt this positive before about anything in her entire life.

When their superior officers arrived to introduce themselves, all of the soldiers stood to attention. There were only about five officers assembled, Asha figured that the rest must currently be busy with their duties on base or in the field.

Finally the most senior officer present spoke. "Welcome to Tawang base," he greeted them all, "I am Colonel Rao, one of the senior officers at this base. Unfortunately our commandant Brigadier Kumar is currently attending an important meeting in Delhi so he could not be here to greet you personally. However I would like to introduce you to some of the senior officers here under whose orders you will be operating. So I would like to introduce Major Rakesh Chandra, Major Surya Ramachandran," he indicated the two gentlemen standing to his left, who both nodded in response, then he turned to the two soldiers standing to his left. "Captain Sunita Shergill and Captain Samir Hassan." These two also nodded towards the cadets, Captain Hassan seemed to be the most friendly of the lot as he already had a broad smile on his face. Of course, this could have been because he had just spotted somebody hurrying to join them on the stage.

"I apologise for my lateness, Sir." The newcomer told Colonel Rao, "I only received my transfer orders yesterday."

"That's quite alright," Colonel Rao replied with a smile, "I wasn't actually expecting you until lunch time at least." Then he turned to address the assembled soldiers again. "By a stroke of luck, I can introduce you to one more of the senior officers here, this is Captain Dhiraj Kapoor."

Dhiraj turned to the assembled soldiers and nodded in their direction without looking too closely. He then turned to face those already on the stage, and catching Samir's eye he grinned at him.

After a further explanation of what their duties would entail, Colonel Rao dismissed the young soldiers when he was told he had received an important call, informing them that they would be given a thorough briefing on the situation in another half an hour. Everybody relaxed and turned to leave, everybody except Asha that is.

Because from the moment that Captain Dhiraj Kapoor had appeared, she had stood as if stricken, staring in his direction.

She knew she had never seen him before but somehow, there was something strangely familiar about him.

She just couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was.

Amiya turned to see Asha still staring at the low stage where Dhiraj and Samir were now deep in conversation. There was a look on her friend's face that she had never seen before, she struggled to work out exactly what it was and failed.

"Come on Asha," she told her, "Let's go and relax for half an hour before the briefing." Asha broke out of her daze and followed Amiya away. She had no idea what had disturbed her so much on seeing the young officer, but as soon as she had seen his face her heart had started beating faster, her hands had begun to shake, she had felt like she could scarcely breathe.

Seeing her friend glance back over her shoulder towards the stage one more time, Amiya looked in the same direction to see what it was that Asha was staring at. All she could see were two of the young captains that they had just been introduced to, there was nothing else that Asha could possibly have been looking at.

"Do you know one of them?" she asked, trying to work out what it was Asha kept staring at.

"No, not at all." Asha replied, shaking her head as if to clear it of the strange cloud that seemed to have settled upon it. "It's just…" she struggled to explain what it was that she was feeling, "I don't know, the one on the left just seemed… familiar."

"Well maybe you've met him somewhere before, or seen him in one of those army magazines we used to read at the academy." Amiya said reassuringly. "Come on, let's go now."

Asha was more than happy to go with her, the sooner she got away from there the better, because she had never felt this unnerved before in her entire life.

As soon as Colonel Rao and the rest of the officers had left the stage, Samir greeted his friend enthusiastically.

"Dhiraj, it's great to see you again! I had no idea you were going to be posted here as well."

"Neither did I," Dhiraj replied, stepping forward to hug Samir warmly, "Until two days ago I was on a peacekeeping mission in Kazakhstan, the fact that they called me back so quickly shows that they expect the situation to become quite serious soon." Dhiraj ran a hand through hair that was growing far too fast, still quite tired from the long trip.

"Well at least I know I've got one friend here now," Samir told him, "It will be almost like old times, I hope they've assigned you as my room mate."

"Well I can confirm that right now," Dhiraj replied with a grin, "I definitely recognized your things when I was dropping off my bag to our room."

"Well let's go and get you settled properly now," Samir told him, "And then we'll attend the briefing. Since you've just arrived you'll need it just as badly as the junior officers will."

The two of them walked off chatting comfortably about what they'd each been doing for the last year while Dhiraj was posted in Kazakhstan. While Dhiraj and Samir had attended the same academy, Dhiraj had been in second year when Samir had arrived as a first year cadet. Despite this they had hit it off immediately and become good friends, which was only strengthened further when they had been posted together for two years.

After moving Dhiraj's few possessions into their cupboards, Samir led him to the briefing room where they sat waiting for Colonel Rao and the rest of the new officers. Samir was just telling Dhiraj a story about a mutual friend from their academy days when Dhiraj became distracted. Samir had had his full attention until the moment when _she_ walked into the room.

Outwardly there was nothing particularly special about this girl, except for the fact that she was rather attractive. Dhiraj had no idea why she had caught his attention, or what there was about her that meant he couldn't stop looking at her, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from her face. The powerful sense of longing that shot through him at the sight of her shocked him.

Dhiraj had never been the type to fall for girls at first sight, in fact he had never paid that much attention to them at all thinking that it was a waste of time. So why now, on his first day of a new posting, had a complete stranger caught his attention?

Just then the girl looked up and their eyes met. She froze where she stood, staring back at Dhiraj.

It was her eyes, Dhiraj decided. There was something about her eyes, he just couldn't quite figure out what…

Samir finished his story expecting at least a laugh from Dhiraj, but his friend was silent. It was then that Samir noticed what had caught Dhiraj's attention, in front of them stood two young female officers, one of whom seemed to be frozen to the spot. Suddenly noticing that her friend was no longer moving, the other girl tugged on her arm, leading her to an empty seat a few rows from the front and whispering furiously to her.

"Ah, earth to Dhiraj." Samir said, "You really weren't listening, were you?"

"No, no, of course I was." Dhiraj reassured him, but he still hadn't taken his eyes off the girl even as she entered the row of seats and sat down. He now had a slight frown on his face as if he was trying to figure something out.

"No you weren't," Samir told him in a very no nonsense tone. "You were staring at that Lieutenant,"

"No I wasn't," Dhiraj replied indignantly, and then seeing the look on Samir's face which clearly said he wasn't buying it, "Really I wasn't, I was just…"

"Look Dhiraj," Samir told him a little jokingly, "There's a lot of attractive girls joining the army these days, if you get distracted every time you see one, how are we ever going to win this war?"

Dhiraj laughed but it sounded a little hollow to his ears. Turning back to Samir he decided it would be best for him to avoid looking at her at least for the rest of the briefing. "Alright, tell me the story again and this time I promise I'm listening."

For the rest of the briefing, Asha determinedly avoided looking at Captain Kapoor again. Instead she focused all of her attention onto Colonel Rao and memorising the details of the briefing.

"As you know, Tawang is situated quite closely to the borders of Burma." Colonel Rao told them, "Previously Burma was considered a friendly neighbour of India's ever since it returned to democracy fifteen years ago. However now that China has invaded and is in control of the country, we must regard it as a hostile border. The Chinese government has been claiming that parts of Arunchal Pradesh including Tawang are their territory for some years now, so we expect that if they're going to strike anywhere it will be here. Since war has not yet been officially declared, we will only be patrolling for the time being. Every patrol will have one senior officer and three junior officers and the duration of each will be…"

All of the junior officers took down notes, knowing that they would need to be on the highest level of alert as soon as they stepped out into the field.

Knowing that Samir was watching him with a slight smirk on his face, Dhiraj concentrated on the rest of the briefing without becoming distracted. It was only when Colonel Rao had dismissed them, telling them to relax for the rest of the afternoon and that their duties would officially begin the next day, that he allowed his eyes to seek her out.

She left quickly with her friend, not glancing towards the front of the room even once.

Dhiraj decided that that was probably a good thing. If she had looked him in the eye again then…

He was used to being completely in control of his feelings, Dhiraj was the perfect soldier, never allowing anything to distract him from his duty.

So what was it about this girl that disturbed him so much?


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_"We're so close now, Naina." He had told her, "I can almost feel it within my grasp. I promise you, we will get the red box back, and when we do, we will finally prove his innocence." _

_But she hadn't reacted how he thought she would._

_"Sir, these people are dangerous." She tells him, "You know what they're willing to do to cover up their crimes. They'll trap you too, I know they will."_

_He had grasped her shoulders, turned her so that she was looking into his eyes._

_"I didn't just make this promise to you, Naina." He tells her, "I made it to myself too. And I will keep this promise no matter what. Even if I lose my life, I won't regret it."_

_"Don't do this…" she had whispered, "Don't say that… if something happens to you then…"_

_Her shoulders had been warm under his hands where he grasped them. She had brought her own hands up to grasp his arms just below the elbow._

_There was so much that he wanted to say…_

_But there was a knock at the door, and like always he had stepped away, and the words had remained unsaid._

"Dhiraj, wake up!" Samir was shaking him, and Dhiraj woke up to find his friend already dressed.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" he complained, still trying to clear his head. There had been a dream… and that girl…

"I thought you would wake up with the alarm, but you slept right through it." Samir tells him, "You must have been quite deeply asleep."

Dhiraj nods and rubs his eyes, getting up he grabs his towel, preparing to head for the bathroom. "I had the most vivid dream," he tells Samir, "And…" he stops suddenly, it's probably best not to mention who it was that he had dreamed of.

"And?" Samir asks questioningly.

"And nothing," Dhiraj replies uneasily, "I don't really remember."

"Well hurry up and get ready," Samir tells him, "In case you've forgotten you've got your first patrol today with me."

"Well at least I know you'll look after me," Dhiraj said jokingly, he had been up late into the night studying maps of the area, trying to catch up on what he has missed. "We've got three junior officers with us, right? Any idea who they are?"

"Well I have the names, but two of them mean nothing to me." Samir says with a shrug, "We have Lieutenants Dutt, Shivakumar and Rehman with us today. Shivakumar has been here a few months already, the other two must have come in with the latest batch."

"Well at least they've finally started to send reinforcements," Dhiraj comments wryly, "It took them long enough."

"Oh come on Dhiraj, you know how slowly these things work, nothing ever happens unless there's a crisis."

"You mean nothing ever happens unless they can't avoid taking action anymore." Dhiraj replies sarcastically, and Samir shakes his head slowly, not bothering to say anything in reply.

For as long as he has known Dhiraj, his friend has had a deep mistrust of politicians. When he has to interact with them, Dhiraj is always on his best behaviour, but Samir knows what Dhiraj's real opinion is. He had once said that all politicians were just waiting to stab you in the back, that they would even sell their own families for power.

"Sometimes I begin to doubt whether you were actually a politician's son," Samir says with a laughing smile, "That would certainly explain why you hate them so much."

"Well I'll never know, will I?" Dhiraj says with a philosophical shrug, "It could always be possible."

Samir clapped Dhiraj on the back, "Come on," he told him, "Let's go get some breakfast, we've got a long patrol ahead of us."

Asha and Amiya were already eating in the mess when Dhiraj and Samir walked in, and although Asha was aware of him the moment he entered, she refused to look up. She knew very well that Amiya would be looking at her to see what her reaction was, so instead she determinedly concentrated on her breakfast.

"Wow," Amiya remarked, "You're sure finding your food interesting this morning."

Asha lifted her head and glared slightly.

"Oh come on Asha, I know I was teasing you yesterday, but if your coping tactic is to not look at the guy at all, then I don't know how you're ever going to get through your first patrol."

"First patrol?" Asha asked her, "Then the list…"

"Is already up, and you will be with Captains Kapoor and Hassan."

Asha wasn't really sure how she felt about this, she had already made enough of a fool of herself by staring at him so much yesterday. She was determined that today she would prove herself as a professional soldier. She had trained for two years for this, fought with her family for it, and no matter how strange she felt, she was not going to keep staring at one of her superior officers every time she saw him.

"Who are you with?" Asha asks Amiya, slightly disappointed that they wouldn't be in the same group.

"I'm with Captain Shergill," Amiya informs her, "She seems quite strict, but that could be good for us. We'll all be changing teams around for the first few weeks, so that we can get used to working with as many of our colleagues as possible."

"That's a sensible idea," Asha agreed, "And it means that we may get to work together at some point."

"Well for now we'll have to settle for seeing each other when we return tomorrow." Amiya said, "Just imagine, our first real military patrol… camping outside at night… it's so exciting!"

Asha smiled, "In all the excitement, don't forget about the mosquitoes and the cold, and the…"

"You're such a spoil sport." Amiya tells her, "At least for now we know there's not likely to be any attacks. Which is why I'm not worried at all. In the future…"

"You're right," Asha replied, "We might as well try to enjoy this time while we have it, because who knows how long it will last for."

They head to the marshalling point where all of the patrol teams will be meeting, picking up their packs on the way. Asha waves goodbye to Amiya as she heads towards her team's spot, and then joins two other lieutenants, while they wait for their superior officers. They're all chatting amongst themselves when the two Captains appear.

Asha has time to take a deep breath and calm her nerves before they arrive, because neither of them has looked towards their team yet. Instead they've stopped on the way to speak to one of the other officers. By the time they approach their patrol team she's managed to convince herself that she can behave perfectly normally, no matter how strangely she feels when she sees him.

While Asha had had advance warning that she was in Captain Kapoor's team, Dhiraj is nowhere near as lucky. He's glad that he's already put his sunglasses on when he spots her, because at least that way his reaction can't be seen. Dhiraj knows that Samir is watching him, perfectly aware that the same girl he was staring at yesterday is now on their patrol team. He can't help but wonder which one she is, Dutt, Shivakumar or Rehman.

Dhiraj doesn't have to wonder for long, because Samir has already gotten started with the introductions. He removes his sunglasses, confident enough that he will be able to behave professionally while on duty.

"I'm Captain Samir Hassan, and this is Captain Dhiraj Kapoor," Samir introduces them, "Today will be the first patrol of the area not only for you but also for Captain Kapoor so we will be acclimatising ourselves to the area and becoming familiar with our surroundings. As a first patrol it will be shorter than the ones you will be carrying out in future, returning tomorrow afternoon. Now, if you could all introduce yourselves so that we may become familiar with one another."

Lieutenants Prakash Shivakumar and Hamid Rehman are the first to introduce themselves, Shivakumar is a recent passout while Rehman graduated a year ago. By now Dhiraj knows that the girl must be Dutt… but her name…

"Lieutenant Asha Dutt, pass out of Barrackpore Academy, batch of 2033, Sir!" She announces, saluting both of them.

"Well, now that we've all been introduced, shall we move out?" Samir asks, and the lieutenants enthusiastically give their reply.

Samir has already been in the area for three months, so he is able to give them a proper understanding of the conditions, people and environment as they begin patrolling their assigned area. Their main task is to monitor whether any suspicious activities are happening in the area, and also to ensure that there are no infiltrations from the other side of the border.

Samir leads them while Dhiraj brings up the rear, the three lieutenants between them, everyone alert for any sign of something out of the ordinary. Dhiraj concentrates on the information that Samir is giving, but occasionally he finds his attention drawn to Asha.

She walks confidently, holding her gun like a seasoned soldier would, her grip relaxed yet ready. He's surprised to see such confidence in a recent pass out, usually they will be more hesitant, less certain about how they should be reacting to situations. He isn't sure why, but he gets the feeling that if they were attacked, he would be able to rely on her to handle the situation correctly. The other recent pass out Shivakumar seems far less confident, gripping his gun tightly as if he expects to be attacked at any moment.

Without thinking about what he's doing, he walks forward, drawing level with her.

"You graduated this year?" he asks, "You hold your gun well for a recent graduate, Lieutenant."

"I was the best cadet pass out for my batch, Sir." She tells him, but the sentence is neither overly proud nor arrogant, she is simply stating a fact.

"Well Dhiraj knows what that's like," Samir chimes in with a grin, "Mr always first in class."

"You attended the same military academy?" Prakash asks them, curious about the two Captains.

"Yes, we both went to Pune Military Academy," Samir replies, "Dhiraj was my senior there, so we've known each other for about five years now."

"Whatever happens, I just can't get rid of him." Dhiraj jokes, smiling. "This is the third time we've been posted together since graduation. For some reason despite the fact we weren't batchmates, Samir and I always end up together."

"It's fate, my friend." Samir replies, "Face it, it's just meant to be."

"I was relieved to find a few of my batchmates were posted here," Asha admits, "It's good to have some familiar people around on your first posting."

The other two Lieutenants nod, agreeing.

"So are you all settling in well?" Samir asks them, "Getting on with your room mates?"

Both he and Dhiraj believe that the best way to build a strong army is to strengthen the ties between the soldiers. The more that a superior officer knows their juniors, the more they can understand them.

"It might be a bit difficult," Hamid says, "Mine was snoring quite badly last night."

Everyone laughs, having had the same experience at some point or other.

"I'm sharing with my old room mate from the academy," Asha tells them, "So it's just like old times."

Dhiraj guesses that that must have been the girl pulling her towards a seat yesterday while he stared at her.

They pass the rest of the day's patrol with occasional conversation, and Dhiraj and Samir also do their best to try and pass on valuable tips to the lieutenants, especially working on Prakash's grip on his gun.

They make camp for the night, not lighting a fire as they don't wish to attract attention. Instead they unroll their sleeping bags, and sit around a small lantern, munching on their rations. They will take it in turns to keep watch while the others sleep, one senior officer always awake with one junior officer.

Asha's shift is the last one, Prakash wakes her on his way to his own sleeping bag, a couple of hours before dawn. She gets up quickly, splashing her face with water and picking up her gun before stepping forward to join Captain Kapoor where he sits with his back against a tree, his rifle lying across his lap, looking out across a vantage point.

"You're not tired, Sir?" she asks him.

"I had some sleep earlier," he tells her, "Samir woke me up two hours ago."

Asha nods, she knows that they could complete their watch duty in silence, but she wants to talk. She still can't work out why she felt such a strong reaction when she saw him for the first time yesterday and there's something that draws her to try and find out more.

"So you're Punjabi, Sir?" she asks him, unable to think of anything else to say.

Dhiraj looks at her in surprise, he hadn't really expected her to start a conversation, but is glad that she did. Talking will pass the night more quickly, and the girl sitting in front of him… fascinates him for some reason. Dhiraj is a professional, he will always put his work first, and yet today he has found his gaze drifting to her often, observing her.

"No," he tells her, "Well, I don't know really."

Asha looks at him enquiringly, "But Kapoor…" she starts to say.

"Is a Punjabi name, I know." Dhiraj replies with a shrug, "But I wasn't born with it. It was given to me. I was left at an orphanage when I was about a month old." He explains to her.

Asha nods, there's no judgement or surprise in her expression and it encourages Dhiraj to continue. "There were no clues as to my identity so they chose a name for me."

"Then how did they choose your name?" Asha asks him curiously, "I mean, why Dhiraj and why Kapoor?"

"The name Dhiraj came first." Raj explains, "They chose it when I was a few months old. Unlike the other children there I was always quiet, I never cried, never screamed and never laughed. I would just sit there observing everything, and so…"

"Dhiraj," Asha says with a smile, "So did it turn out to be true?"

"I've always had the patience to wait for what I want," Dhiraj announces, and for a moment, just a moment, the way that he looks at Asha makes her want to turn away, but it is Dhiraj that drops his gaze first, turning to survey the forest again.

"And Kapoor?" Asha asks him.

Dhiraj gives a short laugh at this, "Only if you promise not to tell anyone else." He warns her, "It may ruin my image."

Asha smiles, "I promise," she tells him, "It really can't be that bad, can it?"

"Well when I was about four years old, they showed us this really old movie, 'Brahmachari' " Dhiraj tells her, "I don't know if you've seen it… they probably showed it to make us feel better about the fact we were orphans. Anyway, I was a small child, and at the end of it, I asked them who the man in the movie was. They told me it was Shammi Kapoor. Finally, I asked them whether he would adopt me." Dhiraj smiles, "What was I to know? I was a child at the time." He tells her, "Ever since that day, they began calling me Dhiraj Kapoor."

Asha smiles, but she's not laughing at him, nor is she pitying him. "Are you sure I can't tell anyone the story?" she asks, grinning slightly, "Because my friend Amiya…"

Dhiraj smiles back, "Fine, but only one person." He tells her, and decides that he's talked about himself enough.

"How did you decide to join the army?" he asks.

"I always wanted to join the army, ever since I was old enough to think about what I wanted to be," Asha admits.

"Then do you have any relatives in the army?"

"Nobody," Asha tells him, "Not even any family friends, nobody could ever figure out where I got the idea from. In the beginning my family opposed my choice, in fact they're still not happy about me being in the army. But once I've made my decisions, it's difficult for anybody to change my mind."

"Determination is a valuable thing to have in life," Dhiraj tells her, "Without it, I could never have gotten this far."

"Then how did you decide to join the army, Sir?" she asks him.

Dhiraj thinks about it for a moment, the memory bringing a smile to his face. "When I was five years old, an army officer came to visit our orphanage." He tells her, "He was there to give us some clothes, toys, books… I'm not sure why. Seeing him in his uniform, I suddenly wished that I could become a soldier one day, and so I asked him whether I would be able to."

"And?" Asha asks, wanting to know what happened next.

"He told me that if I was determined enough, I could become anything I wanted to. Then he told me that he knew this, because once he had been in exactly the same position I was in, he was an orphan and had grown up in remand homes, and today he was a Captain in the Indian Army. He told me that no matter what happened, I should never let go of my dreams." Dhiraj smiles, "I found out later that the orphanage had contacted him when I was accepted to the academy and he had sponsored my fees. But I never saw him again after that day, perhaps he never wanted me to feel like I owed my success to anybody else."

Asha nods, and settles back against the tree she's leaning against.

Dhiraj is surprised at how much he's revealed about himself to her. Typically he will never open up to anybody quickly, it took three months for him to tell this story to Samir, and very few people know it.

But sitting here, it's difficult not to confide in her, and Dhiraj has to stop himself from saying even more. He glances across to where the rest of the officers are sleeping, and knows that he wouldn't have told this story to either of the other two lieutenants.

As the sun begins to rise, it brings a glow to Asha's face, and for a moment Dhiraj finds himself mesmerised. He quickly turns away and reminds himself that even if he is attracted to her, he's on duty and he can't allow himself to be distracted.

They wake the others up soon after sunrise, to eat and continue their patrol. They'll be heading back to the base in the afternoon.

Once again, Dhiraj is the last one in the line, and he can't miss the fact that Asha glances backwards at him once or twice.

She is drinking water out of the bottle when suddenly she stumbles on a root, almost tripping over. Dhiraj steps forward quickly, grabbing her arm to stop her from falling.

"Careful, Lieutenant." He tells her.

She gives him a hesitant, almost embarrassed smile. "Thank you, Sir." She says, and quickly turns back, concentrating on the path.

Dhiraj stares at his hand for a moment, the warmth from when he had touched her slowly fading.

He is a professional, he reminds himself.

He can control his feelings when he's around her.

He has to.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_"I can't love you," she told him, "I can never love you, you need to accept that."_

_"Please don't do this," He had begged her, "You have to move on with your life, don't you think that he would've wanted that? Don't you think that he would've wanted you to be happy? To settle down? To have a family one day?"_

_"I'm still alive, aren't I?" she had asked him bitterly, "Don't expect anything other than that from me because I have nothing left to give to anybody. Just let me live my life as best as I can and for god's sake, don't ask me for something that it's not in my power to give."_

_Because she would die alone… but she would never, ever love again._

Asha woke to the sound of Amiya humming some Hindi pop song as she braided her hair, preparing for the day ahead. She rubbed bleary eyes, struggling to wake up properly.

"What's the time?" she asked, "Am I late?"

Amiya turned around and smiled at her, "No, have you forgotten that we have the day off today?"

Sighing, Asha settled back into bed but it was too late, she was awake now, she couldn't go back to sleep.

"I had the strangest dream," she told Amiya, "I was telling somebody that I didn't love him, that I would never love him."

Amiya looks at her for a moment and then bursts into laughter.

"What?" Asha asks, confused. "What's so funny about my dream?"

"Because it's not a dream," Amiya tells her mischievously, "It's a premonition of the future."

"I think it's a bit too early in the morning for me to be guessing, can you just tell me what it is you're talking about?" Asha asks her, stifling a yawn.

"Amar priya bondhu, as well as forgetting that today is your day off, I think you've also forgotten who's coming to visit you today." Amiya reminds her, trying to stop herself from laughing.

"Oh god…" Asha muttered, burying her face into her pillow and groaning. "You're right… I had forgotten. Do you think I could convince them to cancel my day off and send me out on patrol?"

"Highly unlikely," Amiya told her, "You're just going have to deal with it, but don't worry, you're welcome to curse your parents as much as you want for telling him to visit you."

"I think I'll definitely do that," Asha said, beginning to mutter under her breath.

"So why is it that you can't stand Rajesh so much?" Amiya asks her, "I mean surely he's not that bad…"

"Amiya, you only met him once, and that time I dragged you away before you could realise what a boring snob he really is. The only reason he's here to report is that his daddy wants him to try out all the different jobs before taking over the news channel." Asha paused, finally sitting up on the bed. "And besides, whenever I hear his name, I'm reminded of buffaloes."

Amiya stares at her. "Buffaloes?" she finally asks.

"Yes," Asha replies very seriously, "Except then I feel bad for insulting the buffaloes."

"Well I suppose he does look a bit like a buffalo," Amiya admits, "He doesn't have much of a neck…"

Asha couldn't help smiling at this, and finally got up to get ready for the day ahead.

They walk into the mess for breakfast, still making jokes at Rajesh's expense.

"What time is he due to arrive?" Amiya asks as she piles food onto her plate.

"Eleven," Asha replied with a resigned look, "Do you think it's possible for you to find some important task I'm needed for after about half an hour?"

"I'll try my best," Asha tells her, "I'll tell him that Captain Kapoor needs your help with something." she adds in a very innocent tone, having noticed the direction in which Asha is looking.

"What?" Asha asks, startled and not having heard Amiya properly.

"Nothing baba," Amiya tells her, "Let's go and get our breakfast, you'll need your strength to deal with the buffalo."

As they passed by the table where Dhiraj and Samir were eating their breakfast with some of the other senior officers, Asha and Amiya both paused to say good morning to everybody politely before making their way to the food.

Samir noticed Dhiraj staring at Asha as she left, and made sure to 'accidently' elbow him. Breaking out of his daze, Dhiraj shook his head slightly and bent down to eat what was left on his plate.

Samir glanced at his friend, and then at the two girls. This couldn't continue, because if it did, then soon he wouldn't be the only one who was noticing.

Eleven am came, and although Asha had been hoping he would've either forgotten or been held up by work, he was there exactly on time. After she was called to come down, she met him at the gate as he was signing the visitor's registration and putting on the required badge.

"Hi Rajesh," she told him without much emotion, leading him over to a bench they could sit on. "How are you?"

"Fine of course," he answers in his typical fashion, "But the real question is how you're doing? I can't believe that you've actually come here to serve on the front."

"Why shouldn't I?" Asha asks him, "After all this is what I trained for, I didn't spend two years in the academy and become best cadet to stay safely in headquarters afterwards."

"You could've gotten a very good job in headquarters with your father's connections," Rajesh comments, "I know he was disappointed when you chose not to."

"They'll understand eventually." Asha tells him, "This is where I'm meant to be."

"You won't give up this stubbornness, will you?" he asks, sounding quite amused, "Asha you're not meant for this type of life, you know what type of life it is that you should be leading. Everybody is worried about you here."

"Rajesh, everybody here has relatives that are worried about them." Asha informs him in a no-nonsense tone. "Why should I be special, because I'm from a rich family? How does that make a difference?"

"Don't be naïve, Asha, of course it makes a difference." Rajesh told her with a sigh, "Even I find it hard to cope here, how do you think that you'll be able to do it?"

"Because Rajesh, I'm not you, I'm me." Asha replies with a measure of frustration, "I've been trained to cope with these conditions."

It was then that Dhiraj and Samir arrived, having just finished a meeting to brief them on the new officers that would be arriving that afternoon. Dhiraj was rubbing his eyes tiredly when he looked up to see Asha speaking to somebody, a look on her face that clearly said she would rather not be.

"Who's that?" he asked Samir, nudging his friend.

"Who's who?" Samir asked him in return, not having noticed either Asha or the man with her.

"That man with Lieutenant Dutt, who is it?" Dhiraj asked him again, indicating the pair.

"Dhiraj, do you really expect me to know that?" Samir asked him, "Suddenly I'm supposed to keep a track of all Lieutenant Dutt's visitors?"

It was then that Dhiraj spotted Amiya, sitting against a tree a short distance away and looking at her watch.

"There's her friend," he told Samir, "Go and ask her who it is."

Samir gave him a look as if he couldn't believe what Dhiraj was asking him to do.

"This isn't college, where you send your best friend to talk to the girl's friend," he informed Dhiraj, "If you want to know then do it yourself."

"But you know her better than I do." Dhiraj argued, "I don't even know what her name is."

"It's Lieutenant Amiya Chatterjee," Samir informed him, his second patrol of the week had included Amiya. "Now you know, so you can go ask her."

"Samir…" Dhiraj said, and Samir sighed.

"Fine," he told his friend, wondering why he was such a push over. "But if she becomes suspicious about why I'm asking, I'm telling her that it was you who wanted to know."

Samir strode over to where Amiya was sitting, feeling ridiculous about what Dhiraj was making him do. Really the things he did for the sake of friendship…

"Good morning Lieutenant Chatterjee," he greeted her, and Amiya stood up, saluting him.

"Good morning, Sir." She replied, "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, Lieutenant. How are you enjoying your day off?"

"Oh it's going well so far, it's nice to have a break after such a tiring week," Amiya told him, "Being on duty is much harder than simply training at the academy."

Samir nodded, understanding. It always took new pass outs a few weeks to truly adjust to life in the military.

"So I see Lieutenant Dutt has a visitor this morning." he said finally, unable to think of a better way to broach the topic. "Who is he?

Amiya stared at him, unable to believe that he'd come over here to ask that. It was completely out of the blue of course, and she couldn't help thinking that the last thing Asha needed right now was for another guy to decide it was a good idea to start staring at her.

Then she noticed Captain Kapoor waiting a short distance away.

Samir became a bit uncomfortable when Amiya looked from Dhiraj to him with an expression that clearly said she knew exactly who it was that actually wanted to know.

"That's Rajesh," she told him, refusing to say anything else. If he wanted to find out more he'd have to work for the information.

"And Rajesh is?" Samir asked her, now genuinely curious because Lieutenant Dutt kept glancing in their direction, as if waiting for something to happen.

"Rajesh is here as a journalist," Amiya added, and then decided she might as well tell him the rest. After all, it might stop Captain Kapoor staring at her friend for at least awhile. "He's also the man her parents want her to marry." She announced. There… she couldn't wait to see the Captain's reaction to that one.

"Oh," Samir said, pausing to consider this information. "Well thanks for the information," he told her, "Enjoy the rest of your day off."

Samir made his way back over to Dhiraj. "His name is Rajesh and she's meant to be getting married to him," he reported, "And that was one of the most awkward things I've ever done, I think Lieutenant Chatterjee knew exactly what was going on."

"She doesn't seem very happy to see him though." Dhiraj commented, a frown now appearing on his face. The thought of her getting married to this man bothered him. A hard feeling materialised in his gut as he considered it.

"Well don't expect me to go and find out for you." Samir told him, "I've already embarrassed myself for one day." He walked off quickly before Dhiraj could ask him to do anything else.

It was then that Amiya checked her watch and realised that with half an hour passed it was time for her to go and rescue Asha.

Coming over, she waved at Rajesh.

"Hey Rajesh, how are you?" she asked him.

"I'm fine," Rajesh told her, "How are you?"

By the blank look on his face, Amiya doubted whether he remembered her name.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you two, Asha." She told her, "But I just received a message that Captain Kapoor is looking for you."

"Captain Kapoor?" Asha asks curiously, and Amiya wonders whether she's remembered that this is just a method of getting her away from Rajesh, "Did the message say what he wanted?"

"I think he wanted to talk to you about the arrangements regarding the new senior officers arriving today." Amiya told her, "So you'd better go and see him now, considering that they'll be here in an hour."

"Thank you for letting me know," Asha tells her, before turning back to Rajesh. "Sorry about this Rajesh, but I've really got to go, I'll see you another time."

"Sure," Rajesh tells her, "I'll be back soon."

Asha hopes that it's not too soon. She waits to say goodbye to him, allowing him to hug her although she would prefer that he didn't, then waves as he heads towards the gate.

She turns back, intending to thank Amiya for intervening, but the first thing she sees is Captain Dhiraj Kapoor looking at her with such an expression that not knowing why, Asha feels that she should go to him and explain.

And before she can stop herself, she finds herself walking towards him.

"Hello Sir," Asha told him politely, "You wanted to see me about some arrangements regarding the senior officers arriving today?"

"No," Dhiraj replied, wishing that he actually had sent such a message, "Did somebody tell you that I did?"

Asha suddenly blinked, and then shook her head at her own stupidity. "Actually I think that was Amiya's way of giving me an escape route." She explains, "But then I saw you standing here and…"

"So then you were looking for an escape?" Dhiraj asks her, the words lightening the weight that had settled upon his gut, if she hadn't wanted to be talking to the man then… "I heard that he was your future husband."

"Not if I can help it…" Asha muttered, and then realising what Dhiraj has just said, looks up in surprise, "But where did you hear that from?"

Dhiraj realises that he's just revealed himself and can't believe that he said it. "Actually Samir… Captain Hassan told me." He tells her.

"But how did he know?" Asha asks curiously.

"I think he asked your friend who it was you were talking to." Dhiraj says, pretending to be unsure. "You did look a bit upset at the time."

"Well, visitors connected with my family tend to have that effect on me," Asha tells him dully and then decides to change the subject, "But there are more officers arriving today, right?"

"Yes, they're scheduled to arrive in two hours." Dhiraj tells her, "It's about time, we need to start mobilising our troops now before something happens."

"Do you think that we can do it?" Asha asks him thoughtfully, "The Chinese army's capabilities are as good as ours if not better, if they decide to invade at this stage we don't have enough people in place to repel an attack."

Dhiraj is pleasantly surprised by such a recent pass out discussing strategy so deeply and is happy to continue the conversation.

"There's a reluctance to have too much of a troop build up at this time in case China argues that we're planning to invade and uses it as an excuse to launch a pre-emptive attack." He tells her, "But within the next few weeks there will be quite a few more battalions mobilised to the border areas, some here at Tawang and some in other areas."

"And can we count on our allies if we're attacked?" Asha asks him, "Will anyone come to our aid against such a powerful enemy?"

"Well you know what the European Union is like… they're more interested in diplomacy than action." Dhiraj tells her, "All the members of the South Asian Defense Pact have pledged their support, but I don't know how much we can expect in reality. Bangladesh is worried about its own borders with China, and Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan's resources are sorely limited. The only ones we can perhaps count on are Pakistan and Sri Lanka."

Asha nods thoughtfully, storing the information away. The situation is becoming more and more critical day by day and she would prefer to know more rather than less.

"So how many more troops are we expecting today?" she asks him.

"About fifteen more senior officers are scheduled to arrive," he tells her, "Apparently we'll be receiving more junior officers and enlisted soldiers next week some time, about five hundred more in all."

"That's still not very many…" Asha says with a frown. "But I know these things take time."

Dhiraj shrugs, thinking that it's probably best not to comment any further on these matters or share his opinion on politicians and their use of the army.

Instead he tells her something that he only found out an hour ago while reading the list of names of officers who would be arriving.

"You know, the officer that I told you about is arriving this afternoon," Dhiraj reveals, "The one I met at the orphanage who sponsored my education. It seems strange to think I'll finally see him again after so many years."

Asha nods, understanding how he must be feeling at this time. "Will you tell him who you are?" she asks.

"I will, but I don't know if he'll even remember me now." Dhiraj tells her seriously, "Even if he doesn't, after everything he did for me I have to thank him properly."

"I'm sure it will go well and that he'll remember you," Asha tries to reassure Dhiraj. He appears calm but she is sure that he must be nervous. He will finally be face to face with the man who inspired him to choose this career and gave him the means to do so.

Dhiraj nods, her words strangely do help him to feel better about the upcoming meeting.

"Well I'd better be going," he tells her, "We only received the final word that they would be coming yesterday so there's still some issues to be sorted out before they arrive."

"I'll see you later Sir, and good luck." She tells him and her smile… her smile is one of the most beautiful sights he's ever seen.

"Thanks," Dhiraj replies, giving her a small smile in return. He leaves her quickly before he's tempted to say anything else.

Asha catches up with Amiya who is now sitting under a tree reading a novel.

"So Captain Hassan asked you who I was talking to? I wonder why he would've wanted to know." Asha comments, collapsing on the grass beside her friend.

Amiya gives her a look as if she's one of the thickest people in the world. "Yes, I wonder why." She says, completely deadpan.

"What do you mean by that?" Asha asks her, frowning slightly.

"Well I doubt he was the one who actually wanted to know," Amiya replies a little sarcastically, "It was perfectly obvious to me who was interested in finding out."

For a moment Asha looks awkwardly conscious and then without replying, she peers over Amiya's shoulder at the book she's reading.

"So what's the novel about?" she asks and Amiya knows that the subject has been changed, because if there's something Asha doesn't want to talk about, nothing in the world will ever be able to convince her to do so.

Amiya sighs, and begins to explain the plot, knowing that there's no point in her pursuing the topic.

Dhiraj stood at attention, waiting nervously for the aircraft to land, Samir to his left and Majors Chandra and Ramachandran to his right.

The moment that the new officers stepped off the flight, they all saluted, welcoming their seniors.

Dhiraj's eyes sweep over all of them, finally settling upon the one familiar face, a face he remembers from his childhood until this day, a face that…

The man is currently conversing with one of his colleagues, and so has not seen them yet, but Dhiraj just knows without a doubt that this is him. There is something so comfortingly familiar about him, even after all these years.

When the officers finally reach them, the officer looks up, inspecting the soldiers that have come to meet him for the first time.

And Colonel Aalekh Sharma almost falls backwards he is reeling so much from the shock, because standing in front of him is Captain Rajveer Singh Shekawat, young, and smiling, and… alive.

"Welcome Sirs, Ma'am." One of the Majors greets them, "I'm Major Surya Ramachandran, this is Major Rakesh Chandra, and Captains Dhiraj Kapoor and Samir Hassan. It's good to have you with us at Tawang."

Not Rajveer… Not Captain Rajveer… that would be impossible… but Aalekh can barely tear his eyes from the young man's face because there can be no doubts about it, it's the same face, the same posture, the same eyes… And that name… he knows he remembers it from somewhere but he's having trouble thinking straight right now.

"Thank you," Aalekh finally manages to say, tearing his eyes away from Dhiraj's face. "Shall we head to the base now?"

"You're just in time for lunch, Sir." Major Chandra informs him, "We'll escort you to the mess while somebody takes your things to your rooms, I imagine you won't have eaten yet."

Aalekh and the other newly arrived officers follow them, and he becomes alert as the young man who so incredibly resembles Captain Rajveer falls into step with him.

"I don't expect you to remember me Sir, but we have met before." He informs Aalekh and Aalekh stares at him in shock. The same voice… the exact same voice.

How could he not remember… the man who had changed his life, all of their lives… whose death…

"Actually when I was five years old you came to visit my orphanage, I asked you if I could one day grow up to join the army too and you encouraged me to do so." Dhiraj tells him, while Aalekh just stares, unable to believe that this is really happening, "I know you didn't want me to find out, but I know it was you who paid my fees Sir, and I would like to thank you for that, if it wasn't for you then I don't know whether I would've reached this point in life or not."

"Of course I remember you," Aalekh tells him, forcing himself to speak, his throat dry. "And there's no need to thank me, if our army has received another capable soldier then that's thanks enough."

Dhiraj nods and they walk the rest of the way in silence, Aalekh is thankful for it because right now he doesn't know if he would be able to say anything else.

How could this happen? Is it just a coincidence that he had the same face, the same voice or…

Aalekh Sharma, who has always known exactly what to think and do, is suddenly lost.

Taking a seat a short distance from Dhiraj in the mess, he can't help but keep glancing at the young man, because after so many years he's finally seen one of the faces again that he had longed to see more than anything in this world.

But as he glances at the young officer, he notices that Dhiraj's gaze is continually drawn to something on the other side of the mess. The look in the young man's eyes is one that Aalekh recognises from many years ago, a look that he could never forget because that look…

Holding his breath, Aalekh shifts his gaze to the direction in which Dhiraj is looking, praying that no matter how impossible it is he might find what he's hoping he will.

When he finally lets out his breath, it sounds more like a sob than anything else.

Because seated there, chatting and laughing with a friend is Naina, his Naina, alive and well and happy.

And for the first time in more than twenty five years, Aalekh feels his faith restored.

Because however cruel fate may be, it will always fix its mistakes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_He sat in yet another hospital room, trying to remember how many times it had been now._

_Five._

_Almost two a year. _

_In three years he had received the call five times and all five he had rushed to her side, sat by the bed, and waited for the moment she would open her eyes._

_He wondered when the time would come that he would be called for the last time, whether one day she would never open her eyes at all. _

_"Tell me something, Naina." He asks her, "Each time this happens, when you open your eyes and find that you're still alive… are you relieved or disappointed?"_

_Naina's expression is all the answer he needs._

_"I managed to keep alive without you_

_And didn't kill myself for the shame of it."_

_She quotes to him._

_At Aalekh's enquiring glance, she smiles sadly. "Ghalib." She tells him._

_"Since when did you start reading poetry?" he asks her. It's a stupid question. So he decides to ask an even stupider one._

_"How many more times will I get this call, Naina?" he asks her desperately, "How much longer will this continue for?" _

_Naina's sad smile falters, and when her eyes meet Aalekh's there is a quiet determination in them._

_For the first time he really understands what the answer is._

_As many times as it takes. _

In the twenty one years since Naina's death there has never been a moment that Aalekh hasn't missed her. In fact he's missed her even longer than that, he's missed her for twenty-five long years, because ever since Captain Rajveer died she was hardly Naina anymore, but only ever a shadow of her former self.

And in the twenty one years since her death, never once have the five of them who remained felt that they were only a group of five.

No, rather they were six minus one.

And there was never a single minute when they didn't feel her absence, like a great gaping hole in each of their hearts. The wound that had been caused by Rajveer Sir's death had only been widened by Naina's, and there was nothing that could ever heal it.

There had been times, not often, but still… when Aalekh would wake up in the morning and not remember that she was dead.

But then he would walk out of his room and see her photo hung in the most prominent position next to Captain Rajveer's and he would remember all over again.

Remember every single moment of her slow death, a death which had taken four long years to finally be complete.

Aalekh's first reaction when he had seen them both again was to want to call Neelu up and pour his heart out to her, tell her everything, tell her that they were back.

But something stopped him.

Aalekh didn't doubt for even a second that they really were Captain Rajveer and Naina, there could be no other possibility no matter how impossible it seemed.

But he also knew that neither of them remembered anything about their past, that they didn't have any clue about who they really were.

And the more he thought about it, the more he thought that it would be best not to tell them.

How would they react if he was to come out and say it? He doubted that either would believe him, and the last thing he wanted was for the tragedy of their past lives to have an effect on their present.

So Aalekh prepared to hide the secret deep in his heart, hide it from his best friends, from those who had suffered just as deeply as he had for the past twenty five years.

And he just hoped that in the end they would forgive him for it.

For an entire day he doesn't even know what her name is.

She will always be Naina for him, just as Captain Rajveer can never be anything but that.

But just as Rajveer Sir's name has changed, he knows that Naina's will have too.

But how could he find out? How could he ask about her without seeming suspicious?

His dilemma is solved when he sees her heading out with Captain Shergill for a patrol. Aalekh has to force himself not to rush, instead he walked slowly to where the lists were, and trying to remain calm, checked them with a rapidly beating heart.

It was easy to figure out which one she was, as the only female officer apart from Captain Shergill in the group.

Lieutenant Asha Dutt.

He wondered if he would ever be able to think of her by any name other than Naina.

He wondered if he would remember to call her by the right name when they finally met.

And most of all, more than anything else, he just wanted an opportunity to talk to her, to spend time with her.

But the patrol she had left on would take three days to return, and Aalekh knew that he would have to be patient.

And so, as often as possible, without making it seem too obvious, he tries to spend as much time with Rajveer Sir… with Dhiraj as possible.

Every time the young man speaks, the earnestness in his voice, the conviction, brings all of the memories flooding back. He is a true patriot, and Aalekh knows that in this life too, he would die for his country without a second thought.

But there are differences too, Dhiraj has an edge to him that Captain Rajveer didn't, he's far less diplomatic and far more likely to speak his mind. He's also less serious than Captain Rajveer was, happy to joke around with his best friend Samir. And Aalekh wonders whether that's what Rajveer Sir used to be like… before Navin died, before he lost somebody to laugh with.

While Captain Hassan leaves for a patrol the day after Naina's patrol has left, Dhiraj is going to be on base for the rest of the week helping with planning and official tasks.

But there is one thing, that no matter how long it takes, Aalekh will never become used to.

And that is Dhiraj saluting him, behaving respectfully around him.

God knows that Aalekh wishes that it was the other way around instead.

But for now… he will bide his time, he will keep the secret to himself.

And as much as he can, he will try to ensure that no such tragedy ever happens again.

The day after she had arrived back from the latest three day patrol they had been sent on, Asha waited for Amiya to return. While their schedules matched most of the time, there were times when one would be off base while the other was on it. Asha was just glad that she wasn't scheduled to leave on patrol again for another week, rostered onto duty on base instead. It was exhausting to be constantly alert, on the look out for anything out of the ordinary. For the moment everything in the border region was still calm, and she was thankful for that.

Asha had just left her room and was walking towards the mess when she smiled, spotting her friend in the distance as they climbed out of the jeep they had taken to reach their patrol spot.

As soon as the officers had all climbed out, Asha saw Captain Hassan dismiss them from a distance, and the other two walked off while Amiya remained, appearing to be asking him something. They began to walk, and Asha noticed that Captain Hassan was limping slightly.

Concerned she walked towards them, saluting him before she asked the question. "Are you alright, Sir? What happened to your leg?"

"Nothing, I'm perfectly fine." Samir replied, gritting his teeth as he took yet another step on it.

"You know Sir, now that Asha is here, I'm sure that we could both support your body weight." Amiya offered helpfully, but Asha noticed the small smile on her face she was trying to hide, "We could help you to the infirmary."

"Thank you very much Lieutenant Chatterjee, but I'll be fine to reach the infirmary on my own." Samir replied, "You can go now."

"But Sir, we can't let you walk like this by yourself, you'll end up injuring yourself even worse." Asha protested, "What happened, anyway?"

"Captain Hassan tripped over a tree root." Amiya explained, not bothering to wait for Samir to reply himself.

Samir turned to glare at her slightly, "Yes thank you very much for letting Lieutenant Dutt know that, Lieutenant Chatterjee." He told her.

"Well it wasn't your fault, Sir, you were trying to explain something to us at the time." Amiya told him.

"Like what?" Dhiraj asked, having spotted them standing there and walked up to join in the last part of the conversation. "That a soldier should always be alert?"

And he gave a definite smirk in Samir's direction.

"Great Dhiraj, here I am in pain and you're making jokes at my expense." Samir told his friend, "You really are a wonderful friend, aren't you?"

Grinning, Dhiraj moved forward, and slinging Samir's arm over his shoulder, supported his weight so that he could move it off his foot.

"I'm just wondering…" he commented then, "If you're falling over tree roots then how do you ever expect to be able to defeat the Chinese Army?"

"Oh I don't know," Samir replied sarcastically, "Maybe I'll grab their ankles while I'm lying on the ground."

And before she could stop herself, Amiya let out a short laugh, while Asha tried to hide a smile. For a moment, Dhiraj grins at her, and Asha becomes distracted, finding herself smiling back. She probably would have continued to stare at him if Samir hadn't chosen to speak again.

"Lieutenant Chatterjee, stop laughing, and Lieutenant Dutt… please don't think about starting. You're both dismissed." Samir told them, trying to sound as strict as possible as he began to limp towards the infirmary supporting himself on Dhiraj's shoulder.

"So what had you so distracted that you began tripping over tree roots?" Dhiraj asked him, eyebrows raised, "Or should I be asking who?"

"Don't even start with me, Dhiraj." Samir told him, "Before you start accusing me of things, take a look at yourself first."

"What are you talking about?" Dhiraj asked him, for some reason suddenly becoming nervous.

"I'm talking about your distraction," Samir tells him, "I think it might be some sort of a record if you could go for five minutes without staring at Lieutenant Dutt while in the same room with her."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dhiraj replied, trying to pretend that he really, really didn't.

Seeing the look on his friend's face, Samir decides that it's best he drops the topic for now.

"And anyway, it seems like you're determined to embarrass me in front of our junior officers." Samir continues, shaking his head slightly.

"Are you afraid of being embarrassed in front of all the junior officers or one in particular?" Dhiraj teases him.

Samir just shoots him a look that says he doesn't find the comment very funny, and laughing, Dhiraj continues to help him towards the infirmary.

"I can't believe you actually laughed at your senior officer." Asha tells Amiya, shaking her head, "I know you love teasing people, but really…"

"Yes, poor Captain Hassan," Amiya says, trying to look serious. "Actually he was trying to explain some tactics to us in detail at the time and I think he was just a bit too involved in his explanation, he really was quite embarrassed at it happening… he wouldn't accept any of our help to get to the infirmary."

"Well at least it's not too serious." Asha replies, "He's probably just twisted his ankle, they should be able to fix that up easily."

"So how was your patrol?" Amiya asked her, "Less eventful than mine?"

"Much less, Captain Shergill is a great officer," Asha tells her, "She was also giving us tips and advice. I just keep wondering how much longer this calm will continue for, because if hostilities start properly then we'll really miss these days."

And it as at this moment that turning a corner, they run into Aalekh.

"We're really sorry, Sir!" Amiya explains after they both snap him a salute.

Aalekh's eyes are glued to Naina's face, and for a moment he sees an expression pass over it, a mixture of recognition and confusion, but just as quickly as it has come, it disappears.

"That's quite alright," he reassures them, forcing himself to stop staring at her. Wanting to continue the conversation, he thinks of something else to say. "You're both recent pass outs, aren't you?"

"Yes Sir," Asha replies seriously, "Lieutenants Asha Dutt and Amiya Chatterjee, graduates of Barrackpore Military Academy."

"I've heard that it's quite a good academy." Aalekh replies, for the first time he is able to observe her properly, and it's not just the dedication and spark that he can clearly see in her eyes, it's the tone of her voice, it's the pride with which she mentions her academy.

She is his Naina, there can be no doubt about it.

And yet… now she is Asha, and he needs to remember that.

And really, in so many ways she does represent all the hopes that he ever lost.

"Which academy did you pass out from, Sir?" Amiya asks him.

"Kanchanjunga Military Academy in Ambala." Aalekh says, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.

"It's the best academy in India." Asha says, almost automatically, and then looks surprised at herself.

"It definitely is," Aalekh agrees.

"I wanted to go there but my parents wouldn't allow me to," Asha tells him, "They preferred me to attend an academy closer to home."

At that moment Aalekh can't help but think her parents made the right decision. Because he wonders what Asha's reaction would have been the moment when she saw Shahid Naina Singh Ahluwalia's photo on the wall of fame, or the way everybody else would've reacted to her when she turned up.

"Well I'm sure that you've received a more than adequate training at Barrackpore," he assures them, "I've heard good things about both of your performances from your senior officers."

"Thank you very much Sir," Asha tells him, and the fact that she calls him Sir… for a moment Aalekh can't respond. "I heard that there are some new soldiers arriving today, is that true?" she asks him.

"It is," Aalekh confirms, "I haven't checked the list yet, but I believe we have about a hundred more transferring here today. I was actually just on my way to welcome them."

That is the exact moment when the vehicle which has been transferring the soldiers from the landing field arrives. The three of them turn to watch as the newest batch of soldiers climbs out, chatting amongst themselves.

And it is then that Aalekh spots a familiar figure, who waves cheerfully and hurries over.

He curses himself for not checking the transfer lists, but really, somebody should have told him, he should've been sent a message…

As a rather tall young man with a very open and honest face hurries over to join them, Aalekh realises that he hasn't spotted Asha yet, which is just as well.

Finally reaching them, he smiles warmly at Aalekh before reaching down to touch his feet.

"Nobody told me you were coming," Aalekh protests, "Couldn't your father or mother at least have sent me a message?"

"Actually I wanted it to be a surprise, Uncle Aalekh." The young man tells him, and it is then, that he finally notices both Asha and Amiya standing there, looking at him curiously.

And the moment that he sees Asha, he begins to stare at her, as if he's seen a ghost.

Aalekh realises that he has to do something to rescue the situation before it goes too far.

"It might be okay to call me Uncle Aalekh while you're off duty," he announces, giving a slightly pleading look as if to tell him not to say anything, "But remember that you're a soldier, and while on duty you should behave like one."

"Of course…" the young man murmurs, turning away from Asha despite the curiosity and shock which is now in his eyes.

Then he snaps to attention giving his best salute.

"Lieutenant Hussein Rajveer Ali Baig reporting for duty, Sir!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_They had been waiting to meet him as soon as the graduation ceremony had ended, and immediately his Abu had hugged him warmly, tears in his eyes, while his mother cried openly, kissing him on both cheeks._

_"Today you continue a proud family tradition." His Abu told him, "Whatever you do, remember that your country's honour and safety always comes before your own. You are an officer in the Indian Army now, your country must always come first."_

_Hussein had nodded seriously, feeling every word of his father's advice._

_"But most of all, never forget that you are upholding the beliefs of the man you were named after." His father had continued, "And that no matter what the cost, you must fight for truth and justice, you must support what is right."_

_And Hussein had looked up at the photo hanging on the wall of fame, the photo which had watched over him every day of his two years at KMA, which had always given him strength in difficult times._

_He will uphold the traditions of Captain Rajveer Singh Shekawat, he will bring glory to his namesake's memory._

_And he will never, ever let his parents down._

_Because he knows that for them, keeping the principles and beliefs of their lost friend and mentor alive is all that's allowed them to survive all these years without them._

_Because more than anything else, he feels the weight of the responsibility attached to his name upon his shoulders._

_He will uphold the traditions of Captain Rajveer Singh Shekawat, he will bring glory to his namesake's memory. _

_He will prove to his parents that he is worthy of his name._

There are two days of the year when Hussein's mother always cries, from the time she wakes up until the time she finally falls asleep, exhausted and still sobbing quietly. On these days Hussein's normally calm father will cry as well, even as he tries to comfort his distraught wife.

When he was small, Hussein had never understood the reasons why his mother wept. He would hug her, placing his small arms around her comfortingly, while she would kiss him repeatedly and try to tell him that she was alright.

On these two days, Hussein's Abu and Ammi always take the day off work. Some years Hussein's aunts and uncles would also join them, depending on where they were all posted at the time. On these days the first thing that his family would always do without fail was to visit both the mosque and the gurudwara, to offer prayers and give charity.

It was when he was eight years old that his father finally told him the truth.

"For only two days of the entire year, your Ammi allows herself to truly feel her grief." His Abu had told him, "For the rest of the time she stays strong for the sake of all of us."

"But why does Ammi cry?" Young Hussein had asked his father, "What is she so sad about?"

"She cries because today is the anniversary of the day her best friend, your Aunt Naina died." His Abu had explained.

"And what about the other day that she cries?" Hussein had asked.

"That was the day that Captain Rajveer Singh Shekawat died, Rajveer Singh Shekawat who you were named after and who made your Ammi and I what we both are today."

Up until this point, Hussein and his sister had always heard stories of their parents' academy days, their friends, pranks and fun. But it was the first time that death had ever been mentioned.

Every year from that point onwards, his parents had revealed more and more of the story to their children. Hussein and his sister Anjali had asked to be told the stories again and again, slowly memorising them by heart.

He had never met either Naina Singh Ahluwalia or Rajveer Singh Shekawat, having been born after both of their deaths. Yet he had felt as if he knew them, as if they were friends and guides whose example he could look to in order to show him the right path in difficult times.

And their faces… he could picture their faces even when he closed his eyes because every day their faces had been one of the first things he saw in the morning. Their photos had hung prominently in the pride of place on the living room wall, and every day he would pranam these photos with folded hands, taking their blessings before leaving the house. They had been with him throughout his academy days too, where they hung on the wall of fame as if watching over him.

Today when he had seen that face in front of him, it was as if the dead had come to life.

Which, Hussein supposed, they really had.

"It really is her, isn't it?" He asks Aalekh, "The moment I saw her…"

"Yes," Aalekh replies quietly, "It really is."

They're sitting in Aalekh's room, drinking coffee. Hussein closes his fingers around the mug, allowing himself to feel the warmth. He thinks he might be in shock, because he's having trouble working out what he should be doing or saying or feeling. He can't even imagine what Aalekh would have felt when he saw her… what he would've gone through.

"When you saw her…" he starts to say, and Aalekh smiles sadly.

"She was the second one that I saw." He tells Hussein.

"Then he… _he_…."

"Yes." Aalekh tells him, nothing more needs to be said.

It's a miracle, there's no other way to describe it. Hussein thinks of all those years of his mother and father crying and praying for the souls of their friends to be given peace, to be given happiness.

"Ammi, Abu…" he starts to say, but Aalekh cuts him off.

"I haven't told anyone yet," he tells Hussein, "I don't know if I should or not. If they know then they'll want to come and see them… it's only natural. And I don't know how either of them would cope if they found out the truth."

Hussein thinks about this deeply, considering Aalekh's decision not to tell anybody. He thinks of the pain that his parents try to hide, the pain that all of those who were affected try to hide.

And yet he understands.

Because it shouldn't be about what's best for those who were left behind, now that they know those they lost have a second chance, they should do their best to protect them. Even if it means keeping the truth from them.

Hussein nods, wishing that it could be different, but agreeing with Aalekh's decision.

"Whatever happens Uncle Aalekh, I'm with you." He tells him.

Aalekh closes his hands over Hussein's, feeling as if at least part of a burden has been lifted off his shoulders. The pressure of keeping a secret like this has nearly crushed him under the weight of his loneliness… and at last there is someone else who understands, someone else to keep the secret with him.

Aalekh knows that Hussein Rajveer Ali Baig won't let him down.

He has always been true to his name.

Entering the mess that night for dinner, Hussein looked for a free place to sit and spotted one opposite Asha and Amiya. Hesitating for only a moment, he headed for the table and sat down opposite them.

"Hi," he told them, feeling a bit self conscious but making an effort to appear normal.

"Hi," Asha told him, sticking her hand across the table and Hussein shook it. "I'm Asha Dutt, it was Hussein, right?"

"Yes," Hussein told her, shaking her hand with a smile. In many ways she was how he had imagined her for so long, and in many ways completely different.

"And I'm Amiya," Amiya shook his hand too, "If I'm remembering correctly, Hussein Rajveer Ali Baig… now that's an interesting name."

"Amiya…" Asha half scolded her, "Don't be so nosy."

"Hussein doesn't mind, do you Hussein?" Amiya asked him with a grin. "And is Colonel Sharma really your uncle?"

"No," Hussein told them, laughing. "Uncle Aalekh is actually a friend of my parents from their time at the academy."

"Oh so both of your parents are in the army then?" Asha asked, "You're continuing a family tradition."

"You have no idea…" Hussein told her, "I'm the fourth generation on my father's side. Both my grandfather and great grandfather were in the army."

"So what are your parents' names?" Amiya asked, still trying to get more information out of him, and Asha gave her another stern look.

"Colonel Ali Baig and Major Pooja Baig," Hussein told them, and Amiya grinned as if she had just won a prize.

"I knew it," she exclaimed, "With a mixed name like yours, your parents had to be different religions. It must have been a love marriage, right? How did they meet? Was it difficult for them?"

"Amiya!" Asha scolded her yet again, "You know you don't have to answer that if you don't want to." She told Hussein.

"It's alright," Hussein replies, "I'm happy to tell you their story if you'd like to hear it."

"Of course I do," Amiya told him, "What do you think I've been trying to find out from you for the last five minutes?"

Asha laughs at her friend's behaviour and then nods, "I'd like to hear it too." She tells him.

"Well when Abu and Ammi met, they were cadets Ali Baig and Pooja Ghai at Kanchanjunga Military Academy." He tells them, watching Asha's face carefully. Her expression changes at the mention of his parents' names, almost as if there's a twinge of recognition. "They first became friends and then fell in love, but it took them a long time to admit how they felt about each other. When they finally did, they agreed to keep their relationship secret until they could convince their parents."

He pauses to see the girls both nodding, and then continues.

"Their friends guessed anyway and supported them… and when they graduated from the academy, Ammi and Abu told their parents, but my grandparents weren't happy about the match. They told my parents that they should forget each other, and choose somebody more suitable."

"That's terrible!" Amiya exclaims, "Thank god that things have changed somewhat since those days."

Hussein glances at Asha and finds her concentrating hard, waiting for his next words. He wonders whether while she doesn't remember his parents, she still feels something listening to their story, still wishes for the happy outcome she never got to see.

"For four years they waited… and tried to convince their parents." Hussein tells them, "Nothing worked, both sets of parents threatened to never talk to their children again if they got married."

"So what happened?" Asha asked quietly, unsure of why she felt so attached to the outcome, why the love story of these strangers mattered to her so much.

"Their best friend died… was martyred in a terrorist attack." Hussein admits, "And her last request was that they not waste any more time because life is too short to be wasted. So two month later, Ammi and Abu eloped. It took my grandparents awhile to give in, after I was born they started talking to my parents again, and then when my sister Anjali was born they forgave them properly."

"What a beautiful story," Amiya tells him sincerely, "Honestly somebody should make your parents' love story into a movie, right Asha?" She looks over at her friend to find that Asha now has tears in her eyes.

"Look at you," she tells her with a smile, "Becoming emotional over love stories… this is not the Asha Dutt that I know. Are you sure you're not in love yourself?" she teases, trying to lighten the mood.

"You never stop joking do you?" Asha asks, shaking her head with a smile on her face. "That really was a beautiful story Hussein, one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever heard."

Hussein smiles, trying to hide the sadness that he really feels. Because she has no idea that the most beautiful and tragic love story he's ever heard is actually hers, and there's no way that he can tell her.

And it is then that the world stops turning for a second time in one day, because it is then that Rajveer Singh Shekawat walks into the canteen.

Except he's not Rajveer Singh Shekawat anymore, and Hussein needs to remember that if he's going to keep this secret.

The look on Asha's face when she sees him… lets Hussein finally understand why his mother cries as much for the loss of their love as she does for their lives.

Dhiraj makes his way towards them along with another officer that Hussein hasn't met yet, and he watches as Dhiraj looks up, his gaze searching for Asha, resting upon her and then moving away again.

As they're about to pass by, Asha, surprising even herself, speaks up. "Why don't you come and join us, Sirs?" she asks them both, "There are a couple of spare seats here."

Dhiraj, as surprised by this offer as Asha herself is that she made it, for a moment forgets himself and continues to just gaze at her, his eyes upon her face, the tray he's holding forgotten in his hand.

It is Samir who speaks, rescuing the situation. "Thank you very much, Lieutenant Dutt." He tells her, "Of course we'll join you." He nudges Dhiraj slightly as he walks past him, breaking his friend's daze, and as Samir takes a seat on one side of Hussein, Dhiraj takes the other, sitting opposite Asha.

"I don't believe we've met," Samir tells Hussein after he's sat down, "Captain Samir Hassan."

"Lieutenant Hussein Baig." Hussein introduces himself, leaving out his middle name on purpose, not sure how Dhiraj would react to it, "I only transferred in today."

"Welcome to Tawang," Dhiraj tells him, "I'm Captain Dhiraj Kapoor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Hussein tells them, knowing that Dhiraj could never guess exactly how much it means to Hussein to be sitting here with him.

As they eat their dinner, making conversation about the current military situation, Hussein notices that Dhiraj glances at Asha so often that it would be hard for anybody not to notice it, although two of the other people sitting at the table certainly seem to be doing their best to pretend they haven't.

"So is your sister in the army too?" Amiya finally asks him when there's a break in the conversation, "Since it's such a family tradition."

"No, she's taken after Ammi though, she's a brilliant hockey player, plays for the Uttar Pradesh state team… I wouldn't be surprised if she's selected for the national team next year." Hussein tells them proudly.

"So your Ammi played hockey too?" Dhiraj asks him, "I quite like hockey… would I recognise her name?"

"No… Ammi joined the army otherwise she probably would've become a famous player." Hussein tells them, "My mother is Major Pooja Baig."

And a look crosses Dhiraj's face for a moment, a spark of recognition, of almost… happiness.

"Have you heard of her?" Samir asks him.

"I don't know…" Dhiraj replies, frowning now and thinking about it. "The name seems familiar."

But Hussein won't tell him where he knows the name from, not now anyway. Not until it's the right time.

Observing the two of them while he eats his food, his resolve strengthens even more.

He will do everything he can to fulfill his parents unfulfilled wishes.

Whatever happens, he will try to ensure that the two of them stay alive… and that they find happiness.

Maybe in this way he will be able to finally stop his mother's tears, his father's quiet sorrow.

He will prove that he is worthy of his name.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

_"I can't believe it's only three months until we finish our training," she had remarked, a spark in her eyes, "Just imagine, three months and we'll finally be proper soldiers, ready to begin our duties."_

_"I'm sure that's not the only reason you're waiting to finish the academy," her friend had joked, "After that, your line will be clear for making a new connection."_

_And she had blushed, "Tu bhi na, Pooja… that wasn't what I meant, you know that there's not… that we're not…"_

_And Pooja had smiled affectionately, and hugged her. "You don't have to pretend with me, dost, I know whose messages are in the inbox of your heart. Just wait and see, as soon as you're finished in the academy, he'll be sending his signal loud and clear."_

_There had only been three months to go… and at that time, she had honestly believed that she would have the rest of her life ahead of her, that there would be plenty of time to tell him how she felt…_

_But fate had had other plans._

Asha had been in a bad mood all morning. In fact she had been in a bad mood since the day before yesterday when she had arrived back on base to be informed she would be having a visitor on her day off.

"Don't worry, I'll find some way to get you away so that you don't have to spend too much time with him." Amiya told her as they walked into the mess in the morning. "I'll come and tell you you're needed somewhere."

"He'll just get suspicious about that," Asha tells her with a sigh, "Especially since it's the second time it's happening. It won't work."

"Well then… I'll send Hussein to tell you that you're needed somewhere!" Amiya suggested, spotting the young man at a nearby table, bent over a sheet of paper. "He'll do it for us!" Hussein had only been on base for a couple of weeks, but both of the girls had grown attached to him in that time. As he was a few months younger than them, Amiya was constantly joking that since she was like his elder sister and that he should listen to her.

Sighing, Asha slumped into a seat opposite Hussein and then on seeing him in front of her suddenly remembered something.

"You know I had a dream about somebody called Pooja last night." She told him, "I think your story really affected me too much."

For a moment Hussein's eyes register shock until he gets himself under control, calming his emotions.

"So what was the dream about?" he asks her.

"I think we were in an academy together…" Asha tells him, "But it definitely wasn't my academy… anyway we were talking about how there was only a few months to go until graduation and…"

But Amiya, who has been peering over Hussein's shoulder at the sheet of paper by his hand, suddenly interrupts.

"Who are you writing to?" she asks him curiously, and Hussein hurriedly covers the sheet of paper, folding it over.

"Nobody." He tells her, "Actually… to my parents."

"You are not," Amiya tells him, "Hardly anyone bothers writing with pen and paper anymore when they could just as easily email them. Admit it, you've got a girlfriend and you're writing to her." She grinned, proud at herself for figuring it out.

"Amiya stop being so nosy," Asha told her, "Hussein can write to whoever he likes and he doesn't have to tell us about it."

"Yes he does, he's our friend now." Amiya protests, "And therefore we deserve to know about his girlfriend."

Asha couldn't help laughing at that, momentarily distracted from the idea of Rajesh coming to visit today. Hussein looked terribly embarrassed, and Asha could swear that he's even blushing a little.

"Fine," he admits, "I am writing to my girlfriend."

"Oooo, seedha saadha Hussein Baig has a girlfriend." Amiya teases him, "Well come on, what's her name, where did you meet, how long have you been going out for?"

"We've known each other for a long time, been going out for about a year now and I'm not telling you her name." Hussein replies, a smirk on his face.

"Oh come on, why not?" Asha asks him, "In return I'll tell you all about Rajesh."

"Rajesh?" Hussein asks, a slight tone of shock in his voice. "You have a boyfriend?"

"No way," Asha tells him, "In fact we were just about to enlist your help to save me from such a terrible fate."

"Well I'm definitely ready to help," Hussein tells her, "Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Not so fast," Amiya tells him, "You still haven't told us what your girlfriend's name is."

"And I'm not going to either." Hussein says stubbornly, "If only because I know it will annoy you not to know."

"Oh come on," Amiya continues, "What are you afraid of, that we'll go tell her parents or something?"

"Knowing you, that's exactly what you would do." Hussein tells her, "So no, you don't get to know her name."

"Just think about it, Asha and I could send your proposal." Amiya jokes with him, "We'll have your Nikaah conducted in no time at all."

Hussein's stony gaze says exactly what he thinks of that idea.

"Fine, give us a hint then, we'll figure it out for ourselves." Amiya tells him, about to give up.

And for a moment Hussein appears deep in thought, his eyes momentarily drifting to rest on Asha.

"Let's just say… that it was destined." He tells her, "I fell in love with someone very appropriate for my name."

"Hussein?" Asha asks, intrigued, "Come on Amiya, you should know this, what's an appropriate name for a girl for someone called Hussein to fall in love with?"

"Don't expect me to remember all that historical stuff." Amiya told her, "I know my parents sent me to religious classes but most of the time rather than listening to the teacher I was looking out the window wishing I could be outside instead."

Asha and Hussein both laugh at this, and as Hussein folds up his letter and gets up to leave, he looks at them both thoughtfully.

"I never said it was that part of my name." he tells them, before walking off.

"Rajveer?" Amiya says confused, looking at Asha for help, "What would be an appropriate name for someone named Rajveer to fall in love with?"

Asha is unable to reply because she has the strangest feeling that somewhere deep inside, she actually knows the answer to that question.

At eleven am, Asha reluctantly headed down to the gate to meet Rajesh, Amiya had promised to try to work something out to help her escape but Asha had told her not to worry. Maybe it was finally time for her to tell Rajesh that she would prefer it if he just didn't visit anymore.

When he clears the security checkpoints he hugs her and tries to kiss her cheek, but Asha quickly moves her face aside.

"What's wrong?" Rajesh asks her, looking annoyed, "You're not happy to see me?"

"It's not that," Asha tells him, determined to be polite, "Rajesh I'm happy if you come to visit me as a friend, but you know that I'm not interested in getting married to you. I've told you this many times in the past. I have my own plans for the future."

And Rajesh smirks, "What plans?" he asks her, "This running around and fighting wars? How long can this really last for, Asha? You know that our families want us to get married, so why do you keep resisting? It has to happen eventually."

"No Rajesh, it doesn't have to happen eventually." Asha tells him, frustrated, "This is the 21st century. I have a right to make my own decisions in life, and no amount of emotional blackmailing by anyone is going to make me marry someone that I don't want to marry."

Rajesh begins to get angry at this comment, "You know Asha, your family has been very patient with you, they've allowed you to go and join the army and now you won't even do this much for them? Do you really think that you can find someone better than me? Do you think anyone else of our standards will want to marry an army officer?"

"What standards are you talking about?" Asha replies, also beginning to get angry and raising her voice, "This is exactly the reason I don't want to get married to you, your snobbish old fashioned attitudes. I would prefer to never get married than get married to someone who thinks like that!"

Dhiraj and Samir had already been seated outside going over some notes from recent patrols when Rajesh had arrived. Of course from the time that this had happened, their work had become increasingly disrupted as Dhiraj kept glancing at Asha and Rajesh with a frown on his face that became deeper by the moment, clenching his fist momentarily when Rajesh had tried to kiss her cheek. For his part, Samir divided his time between watching the pair arguing in the distance and watching Dhiraj worriedly.

It was at that exact moment that Amiya and Hussein arrived, about to put their plan into action to allow Asha to escape. Seeing the scene in front of them, Hussein steps forward ready to go and call Asha away but he's already too late because ignoring Samir's protests, Dhiraj has gotten up abruptly from his seat and is striding towards the pair.

"Oh this is so going to be trouble," Amiya whispers to Hussein worriedly, "I don't think I can watch." Glancing in Samir's direction, she finds him staring with a similarly horrified expression. He looks around as if to see who else is watching and spots her with Hussein, both dumbfounded and stuck to the spot. For a moment they exchange a glance which speaks volumes, both of them realise that whatever is about to happen, it is not going to be good.

But it's like a car crash, and nobody is able to look away.

"And I don't know why women are needed in the armed forces in the first place," Rajesh continues, now increasingly angry at Asha's cold treatment of him and wanting to vent everything he's been thinking. "I mean it's obvious that they can't perform as well as men, so why let them in at all?"

Asha is about to open her mouth to retaliate when she feels somebody come up and stand slightly behind her and to the side. Glancing around, she sees Dhiraj standing there, an intense look on his face and instinctively takes a step backwards so that she is standing closer to him and further from Rajesh.

"Is everything alright, Lieutenant Dutt?" he asks her, his voice a mixture of displeasure and concern.

"Of course, Sir." She tells him, wanting to diffuse the situation, "We were just…"

"Discussing the role of women in the armed forces." Rajesh tells him sarcastically, and as he takes in Dhiraj's intimidating stance, the way that he has taken another step forward so that he's now in front of Asha as if protecting her, Rajesh becomes even more angry. "And what do you think about that? After all, there has to be some reason for women to be in the armed forces, something they can do that men can't? Now I wonder if you would know all about that, Asha?" It is the suggestive tone to his words that makes Dhiraj see red, and before he can stop himself he has punched Rajesh, knocking him down so that he's sprawled on the ground, blood pouring from his nose.

At a distance, Samir swears and moves towards them, cursing Dhiraj's temper. Hussein looks worried, but Amiya just looks on, open mouthed before turning around to face him.

"You know, I think that Captain Kapoor is my new hero." She tells Hussein very seriously and he just stares at her unable to work out whether she's joking or not.

As Rajesh scrambles to get off the ground and then gets up to move towards Dhiraj threateningly, Dhiraj takes yet another step forward so that Asha is firmly behind him. It is only the arrival of Samir who comes running, followed by Hussein and Amiya that manages to stop the situation escalating.

"That's it," Rajesh says, spitting blood onto the ground, "I want to talk to your superior officer right now."

Half an hour later they all sit outside Colonel Sharma's office, while Dhiraj conspicuously avoids looking at Asha and everyone else avoids looking at him. The door opens suddenly and Rajesh comes storming out, shooting one last angry look at Dhiraj before walking towards the exit.

Aalekh comes out of the office then, and for a moment he is silent, looking at Dhiraj with a strange expression on his face. If Dhiraj didn't know better then he would think that it's a combination of amusement and frustration.

Standing at attention, Dhiraj waits to hear what his punishment will be, after all he has attacked a civilian who was on military grounds.

"The situation has been managed," Aalekh informs them, "Mr Bannerjee has been persuaded to drop his complaint." He doesn't mention that he had threatened to restrict Rajesh's television channel from certain areas and ensure they received no interviews with any army personnel if the complaint was not dropped. "And I hope Captain Kapoor, that you will control your temper in future."

"I'm very sorry and I apologise for my actions, Sir." Dhiraj tells him sincerely, not wanting to disappoint a man he sees in many ways as a mentor. "I don't know what came over me, but when he insulted the female members of the armed forces…"

"Just don't allow it to happen again." Aalekh tells him, "You're one of our best officers here and I expect you to be able to control your temper."

Dhiraj nods, and after Aalekh dismisses them, he walks away quickly followed by Samir, consciously avoiding looking in Asha's direction.

"So was it him insulting all the female members of the armed forces that made you so angry or one in particular?" Samir asks him once they're out of earshot.

And Dhiraj glances at Samir in surprise before hurriedly turning away. "I don't know what you're talking about Samir," he tells him, "I already said why I lost my temper."

"Oh I think you know what I'm talking about." Samir tells him, fed up of Dhiraj's denial. "I've already tried having this conversation before. Dhiraj, I don't know what it is about Lieutenant Dutt that makes you go slightly crazy whenever you see her, but I do know you have to get your feelings under control."

"Feelings?" Dhiraj asks him, a mixture of disbelief and nervousness in his voice, "I don't have any feelings for Lieutenant Dutt, I barely know her."

"That might be true." Samir tells him, "But then what's the explanation for why you can't stop staring at her when you're in the same room, why you keep looking for excuses to talk to her and why you get so protective of her. Admit it Dhiraj, I think you're in love."

"In love?" Dhiraj scoffs at him, "You know I don't believe in that type of love, Samir. It's true that I might be… attracted to Lieutenant Dutt but it's certainly not love."

Samir sighed, knowing it would be useless to try to convince Dhiraj to admit it at this stage. As far as he knew his friend, this was a lot deeper than a simple attraction and this was the first time he'd ever seen him unable to control his emotions in this way.

"Fine," he tells him, "Well… just try to keep your attraction a bit more under control. No more punching people."

There's absolutely nothing more he can say at this point in time.

Amiya was also frustrated, after leaving Colonel Sharma's office she had tried to get Asha to talk about what had happened, but her friend had been avoiding the topic, telling her that it was over now and they should forget about it.

Annoyed with Asha's avoidance, Amiya headed to the mess instead, intending to get some chai to calm herself down. Seeing Captain Samir sitting by himself, staring into space with a worried expression on his face that she hesitated, trying to decide what to do. Finally deciding, she headed over and sat opposite him, knowing that if anyone would be able to shed some light on the situation it would be him.

"So, uh, quite an eventful day today." Amiya told him, "Life really never is dull in the army."

Samir cracks a smile, shaking his head slowly at the memory. "You're right, never a dull moment." He tells her, "Actually you know, Dhiraj is usually much calmer than that, I've never seen him react that way before." He knows he's trying to justify his friend's behaviour, but he does feel like he should defend him.

"Yeah well Rajesh deserved it," Amiya says with a shrug, "He's such an idiot, whenever Asha sees him she ends up getting into a fight with him. I don't know how their parents are stupid enough to think they could ever get married without Asha eventually cracking up and killing him."

Samir gives a short laugh at this, amused by the way this young woman can make fun of any situation, even the most serious.

"So, uh…" Amiya starts to say and then stops, unsure how to phrase her next sentence. "You're not going to take it the wrong way if I ask you something are you?"

"Ask me whatever you like," Samir tells her, "I don't take many things the wrong way."

"Well then…" And Amiya once again hesitates, before deciding to just come out and say it. "Have you ever noticed that Asha and Captain Kapoor tend to act very weirdly when they're around each other?"

Samir stares at her because this was the very last thing he'd expected her to come out and say. He likes her honesty, the way she's not afraid to ask questions that she wants answers to and he decides that he might as well be equally honest.

"Yes," he tells her, "In fact in the more than five years that I've known Dhiraj, I've never seen him behave this weirdly before in my life."

"And I haven't been able to work out any explanation for it," Amiya tells him, "Except for drugs… and that doesn't seem very likely considering we eat exactly the same food."

"No, definitely not drugs…" Samir says, "So there doesn't seem to really be any explanation at all except for…"

They stare at each other, neither of them really willing to say it.

Except for their friends having fallen in love with each other.

Which was looking like an increasingly likely option right now.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

_He finds his gaze drawn to her more and more these days._

_He knows that he shouldn't be watching her in this way but still… _

_Her smile draws him to her._

_Her eyes make his search for her again and again. _

_So here he stands watching her while she talks to the other cadets, her eyes sparkling as she laughs, and he loses his heart to her all over again. _

_He knows he has to control his feelings, she's still his cadet and he's still her teacher, and there are quite a few months more until that situation changes._

_But God, how he loves her. How he burns for her. How he spends every day waiting for the moment when he can finally express his feelings to her. _

_Then she turns around and looks at him self consciously, before lowering her gaze slightly, a hopeful smile hovering around her lips. _

_And he knows that whatever happens, no matter how hard he might try, he will never be able to stop loving her. _

_The only thing he can try to do is to keep his feelings under control until the day when…_

_The day when…_

Dhiraj woke up, sweat pouring down his face, his entire body damp. Glancing at the clock by his bedside he saw it was only 4am, an hour before his alarm would normally go off. Dhiraj checked the other bed in the room but Samir was still sound asleep, muttering something that Dhiraj couldn't understand.

Rather than wake his friend up, Dhiraj took his towel and clothes and entered the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead. Stepping under the warm water he tried to relax, tried to forget about the dream.

But the truth was that he dreamed of her increasingly often these days.

He didn't know how but every time he woke up from these dreams it was with such a powerful feeling of longing, that it took all of his willpower not to walk up to her door and knock on it, no matter what the time of night.

Because just as in his dream he really does want her, long for her, burn for her.

And it makes absolutely no sense at all.

Dhiraj has never been the type to fall in love at first sight, in fact he's never been the type to fall in love at all. The girlfriends he's had in the past have complained that he always seemed to be rather detached, as if reluctant to give himself wholly to the relationship and Dhiraj knows that they were right. There has always been something undefined that stops him from wanting to fully fall in love with anyone.

Could Samir be right? Could he really be in love with her?

It wasn't possible, Dhiraj knew that it wasn't. They barely knew each other, they hadn't even had that many conversations together.

And he wasn't the type of guy to fall in love like that, he really wasn't.

It was just a simple case of attraction, that was all, and Dhiraj could definitely control that.

He had to.

Hussein is scheduled to be on base for the next week but Asha and Amiya are heading out on a patrol.

"I know you'll miss us," Amiya tells him mischievously, "Face it, you don't have any other friends as interesting as we are, you'll be bored without us."

"Actually I was looking forward to some peace and quiet," Hussein tells her, "When I can finally write as many love letters as I want without fear of you trying to find out who I'm writing to."

Amiya makes a face at him while Asha tried not to laugh.

"So who are you going to patrol with this time?" Hussein asks them, not having checked the lists since he knew that he wasn't scheduled for any.

"With my new hero, Captain Kapoor." Amiya declares brightly, slyly looking in Asha's direction to see her reaction.

Sure enough Asha starts choking on her coffee, and Hussein leans over and pats her on the back until she calms down.

"Since when has Captain Kapoor become your new hero?" she asks Amiya, looking slightly confused.

"Since he punched that idiot Rajesh in the face," Amiya answers, "That was the best thing I've seen in a long time." Then she pauses, "Why? Isn't he your hero? Even after stepping in to defend your honour?"

Asha turns slightly red, her mouth open. "I don't need anybody to defend my honour," she finally tells Amiya, "I can defend it just fine by myself."

"I bet you wouldn't have punched Rajesh in the nose though." Amiya points out and Asha can't help but start laughing.

"So the short answer to my question is that you're going on patrol with Captain Kapoor," Hussein says, noticing the man in question walk into the mess with Samir. Just as Hussein had expected the first thing he does is search for Asha, his eyes skipping across the room before finally finding and settling upon her.

The look on his face is one of such tortured longing that Hussein is suddenly glad that Asha hasn't looked up from her coffee cup because if she was to see him at this moment… then everything might be revealed far too soon.

But Amiya, looking towards the two men has noticed and her expression has changed to one of nervousness as if unsure how to handle the situation. She exchanges a glance with Samir, who nudges Dhiraj and they move to find a table on the opposite side of the hall.

Any crisis averted, Amiya breathes a sigh of relief, causing Asha to look up.

"What is it?" Asha asks her.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Amiya tells her, but the truth is that she is slightly scared by the depths of feeling she senses from their superior officer for her friend. Such reactions aren't natural after such a short acquaintance, and while she's more than willing to tease Asha about it she also worries about what the outcome might be. Because if there is one person in the world that she is protective of, then it is Asha, and she would never want her to come to any harm.

"You were staring again," Samir tells Dhiraj quietly as they sit down for their breakfast. This time Dhiraj doesn't even deny it, just looks across at his friend tiredly. "Are you going to be okay on this patrol?" Samir asked him, "I mean will you…"

"I won't be tripping over any tree roots if that's what you want to ask." Dhiraj tells him, trying to make a joke out of it.

"That's not funny Dhiraj," Samir tells him with a frown, "I'm honestly worried about you, I've never seen you act this way before."

"I can handle it." Dhiraj says, "I'm a professional, and nothing will ever distract me from my duty."

Samir hopes that he's right, because Dhiraj has begun looking across the room again, and Samir doubts whether he would notice an entire tree if it was in his way right now.

Asha and Amiya, along with another lieutenant named Akshay meet Dhiraj at the time for departure, and true to his words, his eyes don't linger upon Asha overly long, and neither does he greet her specially.

"Is everyone ready?" he asks them, and they move out, taking a jeep until the point where their patrol will begin and then heading off on foot.

Remembering his promise to Samir, Dhiraj behaves professionally for the rest of the day, not speaking to Asha more than any of the others and keeping his mind on the task. It is only after they are finished for the day and have set up camp that he allows himself to relax, taking glances at her occasionally as they sit around eating their dinner and chatting.

Asha is scheduled to take first watch of the night and although Dhiraj knows that he should just get into his sleeping bag and go to sleep, even as he sees the other two young officers doing the same, he looks for excuses to stay awake, to sit with her, to talk to her. He rearranges his gear until he really is sure that the other two are asleep and then comes to sit with her.

Asha isn't really surprised, in fact Dhiraj could swear that she's actually been waiting for him to do so.

"I'm sorry about the day before yesterday," he tells her, "It wasn't my business and I shouldn't have interfered, I hope I haven't created any problems for you."

Asha shakes her head, "Not at all," she tells him, "With any luck Rajesh won't have the guts to come back and bother me again, at least not for the next month."

"Well at least I could do that much for you…" Dhiraj remarks, "It's just that when I heard him talking like that, something snapped inside me. I can't stand that type of attitude."

"Neither can I," Asha tells him, "But it's the attitude that I've grown up with, that women are destined for a particular role in life and they shouldn't step outside of it. I wish that my family members were more modern in their attitudes but they're not."

"Sometimes I'm almost glad I don't have a family," Dhiraj remarks suddenly, "Nobody's expectations to live up to, nobody to disappoint, nobody to…" he had been about to say 'betray you', but stopped himself at the last moment, realising how bitter that statement would sound.

"Oh I do love my family." Asha tells him, "It can just be a bit frustrating at times. I had to fight to get this far and now they're trying to convince me to leave my career and marry somebody I can't stand."

"Don't do it." Dhiraj tells her suddenly, a dark tone in his voice, before he catches himself and lightens the tone, "Don't ever let anybody make you do something that you don't want to."

"I won't, thank you Sir." Asha tells him, "And I did appreciate you stepping in for me the other day… it was nice."

Nodding, Dhiraj realises that he really has no excuse to remain awake, so he heads back to his sleeping bag, giving one last long glance at Asha before he closes his eyes.

It is three days later and they are almost ready to return to the base. It's been raining steadily since the night before, and they are all watching their steps carefully, not wanting to injure themselves on the slippery ground. Asha turns back to give Amiya a hand over a particularly slippery patch, grabbing hold of a nearby tree branch to support herself.

Dhiraj turns back to check their progress, and calls out to them, "Everything alright, Lieutenants?" he asks them, pausing for a moment with Akshay slightly behind him.

"Of course Sir," Amiya replies as she reaches the next safe part, "Just attempting not to fall down and ruin my clothes in the mud. I'm wearing my best fatigues you know."

A smile breaks out on Dhiraj's face, and he can see Akshay grinning beside him too. Asha tries not to laugh and letting go of the branch abruptly takes a step forward. But she hasn't been paying attention and steps onto a patch of unstable ground which gives out beneath her feet sending her tumbling down the hill with a surprised cry.

Amiya turns in shock when she hears her, and her shocked cry of "Asha!" is followed by Dhiraj's shout of "Lieutenant Dutt!" as he runs to the edge of the path to try and see where she's fallen to.

"Stay here both of you," he tells them sternly, a look of panic in his eyes, and then begins to make his way down the slope as quickly as possible, stumbling slightly.

_And she had fallen… and he had run after her fearing the worst… and there had been mud, he remembered that much. The mud and… her laughter._

Dhiraj shook his head as if to clear it of the thoughts that had appeared unbidden, and continued down the slope, "Lieutenant Dutt!" he called out, and then slightly more desperately "Asha!".

"I'm fine, Sir!" he finally heard a reply and saw her unsteadily getting to her feet a few metres away, covered with dirt, mud, leaves and twigs, scratches over her face and her hands. Covering the space between them in a few steps, Dhiraj looked her quickly up and down as if searching for injuries before grabbing both her arms, inspecting the hands for wounds. Asha was shocked when he reached up to rub the mud off her face with his hand before turning her head to either side so that he could better inspect the scratches.

The intensity of his gaze on her as he checked her for injuries, the heaviness of his breath on her neck as he leaned over to check one of the deeper scratches that was bleeding, made her feel terribly unsettled, nervous, wishing that he wouldn't let go of the hand that he was still holding, that he would keep his other hand exactly where it was currently supporting her chin.

"Are you sure you're fine?" he finally asks her, "No serious injuries? You can make it up to the top of the slope again?"

Asha nodded, "No broken or sprained limbs," she told him, "Luckily I remembered my basic training and was able to protect my body quite well."

"Good," he tells her with a note of finality in his voice, and then without letting go of her hand begins leading her back up the hill. He grasps her hand firmly, helping her up the difficult bits, and Asha doesn't even think about protesting that she can make her way by herself.

She's shaking and she's not sure whether it's from the shock of the sudden fall, or from…

Grabbing hold of a tree trunk, Dhiraj pulls them both up to the path before dropping her hand, and Amiya hurries over to Asha worriedly and looking slightly guilty.

"You're alright, aren't you?" she asks her, "I swear I'm never making another joke while on patrol again."

"It's okay Amiya," Asha reassures her, "No harm done, it might've happened anyway, I should've been paying more attention to where I was placing my feet."

"But still…" Amiya begins to say before Dhiraj interrupts her.

"Lieutenant Chatterjee, there's no need to blame yourself for this," he tells her, "But we've all learned that we need to be alert at every moment, whether it's for the enemy or particularly slippery sections of path."

They arrive back to base by evening, and as soon as they've entered the grounds, Dhiraj dismisses them.

"Lieutenant Dutt, you need to go to the infirmary to be checked out and have those scratches cleaned properly." He tells her and Asha nods. Amiya stands at a short distance watching them.

"I'll head there now, Sir." She tells him and Dhiraj nods, for a moment it seems as if he's about to leave, but then as if he's lost control of his hand of its own accord it rises, and he wipes yet another bit of mud off Asha's cheek that she had missed previously. His fingers don't linger, and yet the gesture is still startlingly intimate.

As if shocked by his own action, Dhiraj turns and abruptly walks away, in the direction of his own quarters.

He breathes heavily.

He clenches and unclenches his fists.

It's just an attraction, nothing more, and definitely… he will not dream of her again tonight.

And Dhiraj knows that he's always been a damn poor liar.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_"Today it feels so good to be back in my uniform again, Sir." Aalekh had told him, "I never realised how precious it was until I lost it."_

_"And that's the important thing, Aalekh." Captain Rajveer had told him, laying a hand on his shoulder affectionately, "Today you've not only realised how important this uniform is… but that sometimes we have to wait patiently to gain the things we want."_

_Aalekh had noticed how Rajveer Sir's eyes had drifted just slightly to the left of his face, and without needing to look, he knew that Naina would be standing there. _

_"Yes Sir," Aalekh had replied, "And that if you're prepared to wait, then eventually you will gain what it is that you desire."_

_Rajveer Sir had smiled, reaching out to ruffle Aalekh's hair slightly. His eyes once again drifted to the left slightly, and the expression on his face was of somebody who was prepared to wait… patiently._

_When Captain Rajveer had finally left him, Aalekh had turned around to check._

_And sure enough there she was. _

_Just as he had known she would be. _

Sitting in his office, Aalekh begins to wonder just how long a person can remain patient for. Will that patience stretch across life times, or will it evaporate, having been stretched way too far?

Because he senses that Dhiraj's patience is almost at breaking point, and the thought makes him feel slightly nervous. He doesn't know how to deal with Dhiraj Kapoor, how he should counsel him as Captain Rajveer used to counsel Aalekh.

Aalekh worries because he sees the young man's condition deteriorating day by day as his feelings grow stronger and he struggles to contain them. Aalekh worries because he has seen it all before, he has watched both of them struggle with their emotions in two lifetimes now and he wishes that he could help them in some way but fails to find any solution.

There is a knock at the door and Aalekh calls out for the person to enter, smiling as he sees the young man who comes in to sit down.

"How are you today, Hussein?" he asks him.

"I'm fine, Uncle." Hussein tells him, "I just finished talking to Ammi and Abu, Anjali's team won their match yesterday."

"That's wonderful news," Aalekh tells him, "With a player like Anjali Baig how could they lose?" he asks proudly, smiling at the thought of Ali and Pooja's daughter.

Hussein smiles too, and it's obvious by his expression that he deeply misses his little sister. Aalekh misses his own family too, his wife and three children, but he knows that his duty is here, at the border, and duty always comes first.

"How is she?" he finally asks Hussein, knowing that he'll know who Aalekh is referring to.

"She's fine," Hussein reassures him, "She's been quieter lately… and strangely even Amiya has. She seems to be worried about Asha for some reason but she hasn't said anything to me about it."

"I think we both know what Amiya's worried about." Aalekh says quietly. "She has no idea why any of this is happening, she must be confused about why they're both acting this way."

"I have no idea what to do," Hussein admits, "I don't know how I should help or support Asha, I don't know how to try and make it better."

"Just keep being her friend." Aalekh tells him, and for a moment feels a pang of jealousy because unlike him, Hussein actually can become her friend. Aalekh can only be her superior officer, at the very best a mentor. The loss of Naina as a friend hurts him but at least he can watch her… remain close by to her. That's the most that he can hope for at this moment in time.

Hussein nods, taking his advice seriously, and stands to go.

"I'll make sure that nothing happens to them," he promises Aalekh, and Aalekh knows that he means every word of it. If there's anybody that he can rely on to help him then it's Hussein.

"Good," Aalekh replies, "But make sure that nothing happens to you either."

Hussein smiles, and saluting him, leaves the room.

And Aalekh is once again left alone with his memories.

It's the middle of the afternoon and Dhiraj is sitting in the unusually quiet mess in order to deal with reports that he's been given responsibility of.

He isn't sure how it happens but the moment that Asha walks in, he knows that she's there, knows that she's arrived. He can feel her presence, sense it as she glances at him.

And so he looks up to see her standing there hesitantly with two coffee cups in her hands.

"I saw you working and I thought you could use some coffee, Sir." She tells him by way of an explanation, placing the mug in front of him before turning to go quickly.

"Wait, Lieutenant Dutt!" he calls out and she pauses, turning back around slowly. "Thank you," he tells her, and then before he can stop himself, "Why don't you join me for awhile?"

"But Sir, won't I be disturbing you?" Asha asks him, almost a little nervously, looking as if she can't decide whether she wants to sit down or run away.

"Actually I could do with a break," Dhiraj admitted, "I've been working on these for two hours now, they have to be completed by the time the new General arrives."

"So Brigadier Kumar really is transferring out soon then." Asha remarks, finally taking a seat. "We'd all heard that he would be leaving but nobody had confirmed when it would happen."

"Well the situation is becoming more serious," Dhiraj tells her, "You would've heard that Major Ramachandran's patrol spotted some suspicious activity yesterday, but that the group escaped from them."

"I did hear that," Asha confirms, "We really are finally heading towards war aren't we…"

"I don't know," Dhiraj replies honestly, "Maybe the politicians can avert it… but I've never had much trust in them."

He doesn't know why he feels so comfortable confiding in her, telling her things that usually aren't told to junior officers. But whenever he sees her he just wants to talk to her, and keep on talking.

"So why is Brigadier Kumar being transferred?" Asha asks him, "Especially when the situation is so tense."

"When the current situation developed he was only a year away from retirement," Dhiraj explains, "And he hasn't had much battlefield experience in recent years. I think they want to get his replacement settled in before the situation deteriorates further."

Asha nods, understanding the reasoning behind the decision and then begins to fiddle with her coffee mug, turning it around and around. Dhiraj's eyes are glued to her fingers, and he longs to take her hand, to hold it in his and….

He forces himself to stop thinking that way and finds another topic to discuss.

"So your scratches are healing well." He remarks, looking seriously at the few deeper ones that remain on her face and neck, now on their way to disappearing.

Asha colours slightly, looking down at her mug as she continues to spin it before picking it up to take a sip of her coffee. Even a week later she can still feel the touch of his fingers as he had brushed the mud off her face.

"I'm very sorry about that, Sir. I should never have allowed myself to become injured in that way." She tells him, trying to cover the real reason for her embarrassment.

"It's alright Asha," he tells her, "It happens to the best of us at times, it even happened to Samir, remember?"

She smiles slightly, remembering Dhiraj teasing Samir at the time before her expression falters because she realises that he's just said her first name rather than calling her Lieutenant Dutt.

Dhiraj doesn't appear to have noticed, because he just continues talking as if nothing has happened. "Although Samir would kill me if he realised I'd brought that up again, I think he's trying his best to forget it ever happened."

Asha laughs then, forgetting her earlier discomfit, and amazed at how easy it is to chat to him like two normal people rather than two officers.

"How did you and Captain Samir become friends, Sir?" she asks him curiously.

"Well I was in my second year at the academy at the time and he was a fresher." Dhiraj tells her, "Of course like all academies, in this one the seniors arranged to rag the freshers and Samir was one of their targets. They asked him to kiss a girl and he refused, saying that he would never do something like that. I stepped in on his behalf when they were trying to force him, and we've been friends ever since."

Naina doesn't know why the story sounds so familiar, but it strikes a chord within her, as if she might once have witnessed something similar.

_But there had been a fight…._

No, there had never been anything like that, not ever.

She smiles then, "Captain Samir is quite serious, isn't he?" she asks him, "That's why I was so surprised at you teasing him that day."

"Samir and I have known each other a long time, that's why I can get away with it." Dhiraj tells her, "He's more open with his friends, but quite serious around people he doesn't know very well."

Asha nods, still fiddling with her now almost empty coffee cup as if reluctant to finish drinking it because then she would have no excuse for sitting here.

"So how did you meet your Lieutenant Chatterjee?" Dhiraj asks, "She's your best friend, right?"

"Oh Amiya and I met on the first day of the academy," Asha tells him, "By pure luck we'd been assigned as room mates, and we liked each other immediately. After being together almost every moment of every day for two years, she's the one who knows me best in this world."

She's also the one who makes Dhiraj feel slightly uncomfortable, he's noticed her sneaking suspicious glances at him whenever he's in Asha's vicinity. He can't blame her, he knew she must have noticed him staring at Asha and her reaction is perfectly natural.

"It's good to have somebody who understands you that well," he tells her thoughtfully, "Growing up, there was nobody that I could discuss my dreams with, nobody who really understood them. All of them tried to tell me that I was aiming too high… that I could never hope to achieve such things."

"It was the same for me," Asha admits quietly, "My family has never understood or supported my desire to become an army officer. Even now they're hoping that I'll change my mind and decide to quit."

"Well they're going to be disappointed." Dhiraj tells her confidently, "I know that you'll never quit."

His faith in her means more to Asha than she's able to express and she looks up, meeting his eyes. It is then that she realizes she feels a strange kinship with him, as if there really is a connection between them.

It's the first time that she's ever felt this emotion, previously she had felt drawn to him, but never before has she realised that they have so much in common, that they really do understand each other.

Looking away again hurriedly Asha realises that her coffee has long since gone cold and quickly drains the cup before standing up.

"It was nice talking with you, Sir." She tells him before walking off, leaving Dhiraj staring at the empty space she has left behind, his reports long since forgotten.

"So I heard that you had a nice chat with Lieutenant Dutt in the mess yesterday," Samir comments the next morning while Dhiraj prepares for the patrol he's about to leave on.

"And who did you hear that from?" Dhiraj asks him calmly, refusing to become defensive or justify himself.

"Captain Shergill, I think she was trying to get some gossip out of me by mentioning it." Samir tells him, "But like the true friend I am, I just shrugged and looked very uninterested."

"Captain Shergill should know better than to try and create gossip over minor things." Dhiraj remarks angrily, "Doesn't she have anything better to do?"

"Well… yes, of course." Samir replies reasonably, "But you have to admit that if you keep having very long and friendly conversations with your junior officers people are going to be suspicious."

"I had quite a long conversation with Lieutenant Baig the other day, I doubt anybody asked you about that." Dhiraj tells him sarcastically. "We're in a war time situation here and all they can talk about is who I drink coffee with."

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger." Samir tells him, "I'm just letting you know what I've heard since I thought it was better you hear it from me."

Dhiraj calms down slightly, and smiles at his friend tiredly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks yaar, sorry for reacting like that, I'm just a bit…"

"Touchy on the subject of Asha Dutt." Samir finishes for him.

"Oh don't start with me again," Dhiraj replies frustrated, "I'm glad I'm leaving on patrol, at least that way everybody can gossip without me here to hear it."

"Well be careful," Samir tells him, "After what Major Ramachandran reported, we all have to be on double alert."

"Don't worry Samir," Dhiraj tells him, "I'm in no hurry to die."

Samir isn't sure why the words send a chill through him, why he feels a sudden fear. He hugs Dhiraj before he leaves, and his friend looks at him in surprise.

"Don't worry," Samir tells him, trying to lighten the mood "I'll go and drink some coffee with Lieutenant Dutt too, that way there'll be a whole new round of rumours by the time you get back."

"Go and find someone else to drink coffee with." Dhiraj tells him perfectly seriously, and for a moment Samir is nervous until his Dhiraj's face breaks into a grin.

"See you in three days," Dhiraj tells him, before leaving the room.

Heading towards the meeting point he spots Asha in the distance with Amiya, both going for an early morning jog. Seeing him she slows down, stopping to watch him go past. Dhiraj feels a desire to lift a hand a wave at her, but manages to stop himself and Asha begins jogging again, quickly catching up with Amiya due to her longer legs.

He can't afford for any more rumours to start.

It is the next day that Amiya sees Samir rushing past her, a worried look on his face.

"Sir, what's happened?" she asks him, but he has already run past headed towards the gate.

Amiya stares after him, now getting worried. Usually he's always willing to stop and chat, explain things, this is the first time that he's ever behaved like this.

"I think something is going on," Asha tells Amiya as she walks up to join her, "I've just seen two of our seniors run in the direction of the gate."

"Should we go and try to find out what's going on?" Amiya asks her and when Asha nods they make their way down to where there is already a small crowd gathered, the senior officers waiting expectantly and the junior officers murmuring among themselves worriedly.

"What's going on?" Amiya asks one of the waiting lieutenants in the crowd.

"I don't know the exact details but I heard that a patrol team has been attacked." He tells them and Asha and Amiya both turn pale at this. Because of the four teams out at the moment, Hussein is on one and Captain Kapoor is on the other.

Examining the fear on Captain Samir's face, Amiya has a sinking feeling that she knows exactly which team has been attacked.

"No," Asha whispers, her voice trembling with fear "No, not…"

"It could be another team," Amiya tells her, trying to comfort Asha and feeling bad about wishing somebody else was in danger instead, "And you know that they're both very capable soldiers, able to look after themselves."

It is then that one team arrives back, and as the members step out of the jeep, Asha and Amiya both breathe a sigh of relief to see Hussein perfectly safe and sound. His team has actually arrived back on schedule as their patrol was due to finish today.

He hurriedly crosses over to them, joining them in the waiting crowd. "Is there any news?" he asks, "We heard a team had been attacked, but we were already almost back to base so Major Chandra made the decision not to turn back."

"No news," Amiya tells him, because Asha has now turned completely white and Amiya is afraid she might faint if she tries to speak. "There are three more teams out… and we don't know which one it is."

"He'll be fine," Hussein murmurs, almost as if to reassure himself as much as to reassure them, "Nothing can happen to him." Although Asha's attention is fixed firmly on the entrance to the base and she doesn't reply, Amiya wonders how Hussein could have become so attached to Captain Kapoor in so short a time.

By now the medical team has arrived and is waiting, and in ten minutes time they see a jeep heading towards them from the distance.

And Asha holds her breath.

The first person to step out is their old batchmates Vijay, blood dripping down from a cut on his forehead, and even as he helps another team member out, Asha's breath comes out like a sob because she realises that Vijay had been on Captain Kapoor's team.

Yet another team mate climbs out, then another, this one bleeding from a bullet wound to the shoulder, and the medical team quickly spirits them away on a stretcher. Asha continues to stare at the jeep, refusing to believe that nobody else will climb out of it, refusing to believe that he hasn't come back.

Vijay is assuring the medics that he can walk to the infirmary by himself and as they leave him, Amiya rushes over, pulling Asha who is still in a state of shock by the hand.

"Vijay what happened?" she asks him, as Hussein comes to join them, worry clearly written on his face.

"We were attacked…" Vijay tells them, exhausted and weaving back and forth on his feet. "They came from nowhere it was completely unexpected… we were pinned down by heavy fire, and then Rehman got shot in the shoulder and Captain Kapoor…"

"Captain Kapoor what?" Asha asks him fiercely, grabbing his shirt to make him look at her. "What happened to Captain Kapoor, damn it?"

"He told us to go…" Vijay tells her, his voice almost breaking, "He said that he would provide cover fire and that we should get Rehman out of there, he said that he would follow us…"

"And you just left him there?" Asha demands, anger coming into her voice, "You abandoned him to face them by himself?"

"We had no choice!" Vijay yells as if trying to convince himself as well as her, "He ordered us to go, told us that we had to obey! He gave us no choice!"

Even as Asha continues to clench Vijay's shirt, Amiya pities him, knowing that he's distraught with having to follow the order, with having to leave his superior officer behind.

"But what happened to him?" Hussein asks almost frantically, "Where is he?"

"We don't know, we evacuated under his cover fire, and then… he didn't respond to our radio contact."

"No." Asha declares, a dangerous calm having settled in his voice, and Amiya knows she's in shock. "This is not going to happen. Not again."

With a set look on her face, she beings to walk back towards the main base.

Amiya stares after her, before hurrying to catch up with her.

"Asha what are you talking about, what do you mean by not again? Asha turn around, talk to me! Asha are you okay?"

Asha finally turns, her eyes blazing with determination. Amiya suspects that it's the only thing that hasn't caused her to break down completely. "Nothing has happened to him." Asha states calmly. "He'll be coming back, and if he's not able to, then we'll bring him back."

Hearing the confidence in her voice, Amiya isn't sure whether she should feel relieved or scared.

But Asha has already started heading towards the main building again, and for the moment… all Amiya can do is follow.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_"Why are you on this constant redial, Naina?" Pooja had asked her, "You know that he's not due to return until evening."_

_Pooja had found her once again paused outside his door, checking to see whether the lock had been removed or not._

_"I know…I just thought I'd check." She had told her, turning away disappointed. "You know it's possible that he might return early."_

_"And why are you waiting so restlessly for his return call?" Pooja had teased her, and she had struggled not to blush, shaking her head at her friend._

_"Don't be embarrassed," Pooja had told her, linking their arms together as they walked off, "You know that your Veer will always return to you."_

_And she had known._

_No matter what, he would always come back to her._

_Always._

Asha was still continuing towards the main base at a determinedly steady pace, and exchanging worried glances at each other, Amiya and Hussein hurried to catch up with her.

"Asha, what are you planning on doing?" Amiya asks her, "Where are you going?"

"I want to go and find out what they're going to do to get him back." Asha tells her calmly, "We have to get him back as soon as possible, he'll be waiting for us."

"Of course we'll do that, Asha." Hussein tries to tell her calmly, despite his own rising panic. He knows that at the moment she's still in a state of shock, and he doesn't want to jolt her out of it, knowing what the consequences will be. "But we might have to wait for some time, it will take them awhile to make plans. We can't just go in and ask them."

"I'll ask Captain Samir," Amiya suggests to her, "He'll know what's going on, why don't you go and uh… sit down with Hussein for awhile and drink some tea. It's been a big shock."

"I don't want to sit down and drink tea," Asha tells her stubbornly, "I want to find out what's happening and I want to find out right now. I don't need to go and sit anywhere." By the dangerous sheen of tears that has now appeared in her eyes, Amiya guesses that she is very close to breaking point.

"Asha, maybe you don't need any tea but I think I do." Hussein tells her, still trying to keep her calm. He can't let her think that he believes anything has happened to Dhiraj, because the moment she starts thinking that something really has happened to him, he knows that she'll fall apart. "If you sit with me while I have it then I would feel much better and Amiya can go and find out quickly for us."

Asha gives him a look that says she's not stupid, but then as if there's no more resistance in her, she sighs and nods.

Hussein gently takes her hand, leading her towards the mess and after checking that Asha really is going with him, Amiya continued in the direction of the main building, hurrying since she wanted to find out as quickly as possible and then return to Asha. Searching through the crowd of worried officers she eventually locates Samir leaning against the wall near Brigadier Kumar's office, his head down and supported by one hand.

Gently she touches his arm and Samir looks up, his eyes filled with worry.

"Is there any news, Sir?" Amiya asks him. "Have they heard anything about Captain Kapoor or have they planned anything yet?"

"I don't know," Samir answers tiredly, "They're having a meeting about it right now. Hopefully we'll know something soon." For a moment he looks torn between saying something and not saying it, but finally he decides to confide in her. "I had a bad feeling when he left, but I thought I was just being paranoid… I should've…"

"There was nothing that you could've done, Sir." Amiya tells him, "And I know that Captain Kapoor is an excellent soldier, I'm sure he's fine."

"I know, it's just… he's my best friend you know, has been for five years and if something happens to him…" Seeing the fear on Samir's face, Amiya wishes that she could comfort him but she knows it's not her place to do so. They don't share a close enough relationship for it to be appropriate. Samir notices the concern on her face and tries to smile in order to make her feel better but fails. "How's Lieutenant Dutt taking this?" he finally asks her quietly, at a loss for anything else to say.

"She's in shock I think," Amiya also replies quietly, not wanting their conversation to be overheard by anybody. "She hasn't really reacted properly… just keeps saying that he'll be fine and we'll get him back. Hussein is sitting with her."

"You go and be with her," Samir tells Amiya kindly, "And I promise that as soon as I know anything I'll come and inform you."

"Are you sure that you'll be alright?" Amiya asks him, forgetting to add 'sir' to her sentence in her worry about him.

"I'm a soldier," he tells her. "I'll deal with it, I have to."

Amiya nods, not really wanting to leave him on his own but knowing that she needs to return to Asha. She makes her way to the mess where she finds Hussein and Asha sitting in one corner, an untouched cup of chai in front of Asha.

Asha looks up as Amiya approaches them, her eyes begging Amiya to tell her something positive.

"Captain Samir doesn't know anything right now," Amiya tells them. "All of the most senior officers are in a meeting right now, but he promised to let us know as soon as he finds out anything."

And Asha stands up suddenly without any warning. "I think…" she announces, "That I'll go to our room for awhile."

"Do you want me to…?"

"No," Asha cuts Amiya off before she can complete the sentence. "I think I just need some time…" and she heads off a little unsteadily, tears still threatening to fall from her eyes.

Amiya watches Asha leave, her heart hurting for her friend's unexpressed pain, but she doesn't follow, guessing that Asha needs some time alone to deal with her emotions. Instead she sits down opposite Hussein and begins the long wait, knowing that it might take hours to receive any news.

"Sir, I think we need to dispatch a search and rescue mission as soon as possible." Aalekh told Brigadier Kumar, "Captain Kapoor is one of our best and most capable soldiers, I'm sure that he managed to survive. Now it's important that we find him as soon as possible before anybody else does. If he's in an injured state then he'll need medical treatment as well."

"Colonel Sharma, you're sure that he's alive but what guarantee do we have of that when we haven't been able to contact him?" Brigadier Kumar replied.

"Sir, the radio might have been damaged, or he may not be able to answer it." Aalekh argues. "But we can't simply abandon him there because we don't know whether he's alive or not. He's a good officer who managed to save the rest of his team from an ambush and we can't afford to lose him." Aalekh tries to keep the emotion out of his voice, knowing that he has to approach this calmly, logically if he has any chance of convincing the general.

"We will definitely not abandon Captain Kapoor, but night is already about to fall and it is far too late to launch a rescue mission today." Brigadier Kumar tells him. "These things take time and we have to be cautious… how do we know they're not going to use the opportunity to ambush us?"

Aalekh realises that the battle is far from won.

Hussein and Amiya are still sitting in the mess, now on their seventh cup of chai when Samir walks in, headed towards them with such a look of defeat on his face that both of them immediately know that the answer can't be good.

He slumps tiredly into the chair next to Amiya and she pushes across her untouched cup which is luckily still hot.

He picks it up in hands which are slightly shaking, taking a long sip of it before he speaks.

"It will probably be the day after tomorrow before any rescue mission is launched…" he finally tells them, "Brigadier Kumar is reluctant to do so at the moment, he fears an ambush, and…" he thinks about whether it's wise to say so before deciding that he no longer cares, "I think he's eager to leave the problem of finding Dhiraj to his replacement rather than handling it himself."

Amiya knows that he must be feeling frustrated to be talking about the General in this way, since usually Samir is the perfect example of tact and diplomacy. But she can't blame him because even she's feeling frustrated right now, unable to believe that they've wasted so much time already and are considering wasting even more.

"We can't do anything about it, can we?" she asks helplessly. "We just have to wait for them to make the decision and hope they do it quickly."

Hussein's head turns suddenly and Amiya and Samir also glance in the same direction to see Asha standing there, obviously having heard everything.

"Asha… Captain Samir was just…"

"I heard." Asha says dully, "So they're just going to leave him there."

"Not if I can help it," Samir says, draining the cup of tea, "I wanted to come and inform you all… now I'll go and talk to Colonel Sharma. He seems to be on our side, I'll volunteer to go myself and look for him, and I'm sure there would be others who would join me."

"You can definitely count on our support, Sir." Hussein tells him, "We'll be ready as soon as you've received the signal to go."

"Thanks Lieutenant Baig," Samir tells him, and then gets up to go. "Thanks for the chai," he tells Amiya with a tired smile and leaves.

Asha sits down in the chair he's just vacated and Amiya and Hussein both watch her nervously, unsure how she will take this news. But Asha's expression remains set, determined.

"I'm not waiting for any signal." She announces without any hesitation, "Whether the Brigadier gives the orders or not, I'm not leaving him there."

Amiya and Hussein stare at her in shock, because this was the last thing that they were expecting Asha to declare.

"Asha, what are you planning to do?" Amiya asks her, "You know that we can't just go off and rescue him ourselves."

The look on Asha's face clearly says that that is exactly what she plans to do.

"Amiya, I don't know whether anybody else will be with me in this or not, and I can't expect you to be. It would have consequences for us if we did so. But I'm not going to leave him out there for a further two days when he could be already injured." Asha isn't in shock any more and she isn't hysterical, she's perfectly calm and discussing the matter as if it's the most logical thing in the world. Amiya suddenly suspects that this is exactly what Asha has been thinking about in her room all this time.

Amiya is just about to try and talk some sense into Asha when suddenly Hussein speaks up.

"I'm with you." He tells Asha, "You can count on me, whatever it takes I'll help to get Captain Kapoor back."

Asha nods, thankful and even more determined, while Amiya just gapes at him, unable to believe he's encouraging her in this. Looking at Asha, she realises that there's no point arguing with her, her friend is not going to change her mind. The only decision that Amiya can make at the moment is whether to support Asha in her decision or not.

Amiya sighs, "Well I suppose if you two are going, then there's nothing for me to do on the base by myself. I'll support you in this too."

"Then we'll be ready to leave in an hour's time." Asha tells them in an undertone, "We'll need some equipment, which will have to be organised…"

"I'm with you too." Another voice speaks up and they all look around shocked at being discovered to see Vijay standing there, his forehead now bandaged. "I made the mistake of obeying his orders and leaving him there alone… I won't make the mistake of doing nothing now. For an officer like Captain Kapoor I'm willing to risk any punishment."

He sits down at the table with them, and Asha nods as if to thank him. "I'm glad to have you with us in this, Vijay." She tells him, "You'll be able to show us the last location you saw him in, from there it should be quite easy for us to track him down."

They bend their heads together over the table to discuss the details. Although she feels nervous about this, there's no point for Amiya to raise any objections. Asha is an unstoppable force, and there's only two options at the moment, either assist her or get out of her way.

Three hours later, Samir heads to his room exhausted. He's been arguing himself hoarse to anyone that will listen that they should be sending out a search party for Dhiraj immediately and has met with little success. Colonel Sharma is the only one who has been willing to support him against Brigadier Kumar, and he suspects that the officer is as upset about the decision as he is.

Opening the door and turning on the light, Samir surveys the empty room, his eyes resting on Dhiraj's bed. He hasn't allowed himself to break down so far, hasn't allowed himself to admit that Dhiraj won't be coming back. The thought is unimaginable to him, that there might be a life without his best friend in it and so he doesn't allow himself to think it. Samir steps into the room and then looks down as he steps onto a piece of paper.

Picking it up, he opens it and begins to read.

Dear Captain Samir,

By the time you get this we'll be gone. Asha has decided that she can't wait for our superiors to decide to rescue Captain Kapoor and that she would prefer to do so her self. There's nothing I can do to stop her, so I'm going with her to try and lend my help. Hussein and Vijay are also with us. All I can hope is that we come back successful and that our actions don't create too many problems. I wanted to tell you before hand… but knew that you would be punished more severely than us if you had any hand in it.

Please pray for our success.

Lt. Amiya Chatterjee

Samir isn't sure whether to laugh or cry, because something that their superior officers haven't been willing to do, four young lieutenants have taken upon their own shoulders and all he can do is wish them the best and hope that nobody finds out about it until they've managed to find Dhiraj and bring him back.

Samir remains tense as he eats his dinner, knowing that nobody has discovered the lieutenants are gone yet and fearing the moment when they will be found out. He finishes and is about to go to his room when Colonel Sharma calls out to him. Samir stops and waits for the older man to come and join him.

"Captain Samir, I was wondering whether you've seen Lieutenant Baig anywhere, I noticed that he wasn't at dinner tonight."

"No, Sir." Samir answers a little nervously, "I haven't seen him since the afternoon."

"I can't see either Lieutenant Asha Dutt or Lieutenant Amiya Chatterjee anywhere either." Aalekh continues, and Samir begins to become nervous, guessing that Colonel Sharma knows exactly what has happened.

"Sir, I don't…"

"Captain Samir, this is only between the two of us." Aalekh tells him quietly as they walk away from the crowd. "Have they gone somewhere with some plan?"

Realising that they're going to be discovered eventually anyway, Samir decides that it's probably best that Colonel Sharma is the one who finds out first since he seems the most sympathetic.

"They've gone along with Lieutenant Vijay," he admits, "They plan to try and find Captain Kapoor."

Samir looks at Aalekh and is surprised to see that a small smile has come to the man's face almost as if he had expected this, or as if he approves.

"I just hope they're successful," Aalekh tells him, shocking the younger man. "Brigadier Kumar leaves tomorrow afternoon, we'll try our best to conceal it at least until his replacement arrives."

Samir nods, taking it as an order, and patting him on the back, Aalekh leaves.

Once again, Aalekh smiles, because really, he could never expect anything other than this from his Naina.

They reach the site of the ambush early in the morning, just as dawn is breaking. They had camped during the night, knowing that it would be foolish to try and locate any clues without proper light.

Vijay guides them to the spot and they move carefully, cautiously, keeping an eye out for any hostile activity. The first thing that they all notice is blood spatters on the ground and nearby leaves.

"That could be from Rehman's wound…" Vijay tells them, trying to remain positive.

Asha isn't listening, she has already moved eastwards where she is examining a larger patch of blood on the ground followed by what looks like a trail of spatters, as if somebody had bound their wound and then moved off.

"He went this way," she announces, no hesitation at all in her voice and before they can question her, she has already begun following the trail, looking for more clues.

Further along they find some markings on the ground and for the first time since she had heard the news the previous day, Asha smiles. She knows without any doubt that he made them in order to help any search team looking for him.

"We're on the right track everyone," Asha announces, "Stay alert and I'm sure we'll find him soon."

There was nothing in the world that Asha was more certain of right now.

Because no matter what happened he would always come back.

And if he didn't… then she was there to find him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_Another mission, and once again they are together._

_He watches her apply the war paint expertly, check her gear, her rifle. She really is the perfect soldier, focused, determined, professional._

_Aalekh wonders how many of the soldiers under her command know the real secret for her dedication, that it's her only purpose in life, her reason for living. _

_Her soldiers respect her, he can see it in their eyes. They respect her for her capabilities and also because they know she'll do her best to get them back alive._

_Naina looks up, her eyes meeting his and her lips form something that is almost a smile._

_"Ready?" she asks him and Aalekh nods._

_Because just as she will do her best to bring her team back alive, he will do his to ensure that she also returns with them._

_Whether she wants to or not._

Aalekh stood at attention as they formally fare welled Brigadier Kumar while welcoming his replacement, ensuring that his face didn't betray his emotions. It was difficult to hide the sense of relief he had from the familiar presence that had just arrived.

It was only once the formalities had ended and Brigadier Kumar had departed that Aalekh allowed himself to smile, saluting his new base commandant.

"It's good to have you with us, Sir." Aalekh tells him.

"What's this 'sir' business, Aalekh?" Abhimanyu asked him, "We've known each other for so long and you still won't call me by my first name."

"Don't mind it, Abhimanyu Sir." Aalekh tells him, "But while I'm on duty you're Brigadier Chauhan to me."

"I still can't get used to the sound of it…" Abhimanyu tells him, "It reminds me of BC, in fact according to my initials, I'm also BC." He grimaced slightly at the thought and Aalekh struggled not to smile.

"We have quite a few things to discuss, Sir." Aalekh tells him, wanting to bring up the topic as soon as possible.

"Yes, foremost of which is this missing officer, Captain Dhiraj Kapoor. We'll have to begin efforts to rescue him as soon as possible. Has any mission been launched yet?" Abhimanyu asks as they walk towards the officers' quarters.

"Sort of." Aalekh tells him, not quite sure how else to phrase it.

"'Sort of'? What on earth are you talking about, Aalekh?"

"Well when Brigadier Kumar announced that no rescue operation would be launched immediately, four lieutenants took it upon themselves to rescue him and left the base without permission late yesterday." Aalekh informs Abhimanyu, waiting for his reaction.

"Oh god, this is the last thing that I need as soon as I arrive on base." Abhimanyu groaned, "Tell me something, are they KMA pass outs by any chance?"

"Well… one of them is."

Abhimanyu looks at Aalekh's face and then sighs. "Hussein is with them, isn't he?" he asks.

Aalekh just nods.

"He's exactly like his parents." Abhimanyu comments, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Yes, he is." Aalekh remarks, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.

"Well don't think that just because he's Ali and Pooja's son he's not going to be punished along with the rest of them." Abhimanyu remarks, "I can't be soft on him just because he's the son of friends, now get a proper rescue prepped and I'll see these lieutenants once they're back on base."

"I'll make a bet with you Sir, that not only will these lieutenants successfully return with Captain Kapoor, but that the moment you see them you'll no longer want to punish them." Aalekh tells him with a small smile. "I'll start those preparations but I'm sure that I'm going to win this bet… we've got two best cadet pass outs in that group."

"Fine, let's see who wins this bet then." Abhimanyu tells him, "I hope you're right about their success in the mission, but just in case you're not… let's go and start planning right now…"

For the past three hours they've been following a trail of clues and markings, moving slowly as Asha tries to find the correct path.

"I never realised she was so good at this." Amiya remarks to Hussein, "I mean we never had that much experience of it at the academy."

"I think Asha was born to be a soldier," Hussein tells Amiya, knowing that she won't understand the real depth behind his words. He remembers his parents' stories about her well, about what it was like to go on missions with her after graduation, her dedication and the way she inspired the soldiers under her command.

"We're definitely close now," Asha announces, "Everybody stay alert, I expect that he's somewhere in this area." She has taken a leadership role easily with no hesitation at all, something that Amiya marvels at, knowing that she herself is not ready to do any such thing.

It is after five minutes of searching the area thoroughly when they hear a shout from Vijay. Forgetting about caution, Asha runs to the spot where she can now see Vijay kneeling, her heartbeat pounding in her ears so loudly that she can't hear any other sound and there, lying partially hidden from view, is Captain Dhiraj.

Asha falls to her knees beside him, frantically searching for a pulse and only relaxing slightly when she finds one, weak yet nevertheless there. There's a shallow wound on his forehead and a blood soaked cloth tied around a wound on his leg. Under her fingers on his wrist she can feel him burning with fever but he's alive, and that's what matters, Asha mutters a prayer of thanks under her breath, unable to express how relieved she really is.

"Get the stretcher ready." Asha calls out and Hussein removes the compacted stretcher from his pack, readying it along with Vijay. Asha has just turned around to check on their progress when Dhiraj stirs and before she can react he's grabbed the wrist of her hand, his gaze focused on her but feverish, unclear.

"Sir, it's alright, we've come to take you back." Asha tries to tell him reassuringly but his grip on her wrist doesn't loosen. Instead he opens his mouth to speak, his voice hoarse from lack of water.

"You've come for me, Naina." He tells her, his gaze suddenly intense, more focused. "I knew you would."

"I will always come for you, Sir." Asha tells him fervently, "No matter what, I will always come for you."

Vijay and Hussein shift him onto the stretcher before lifting it between them. Dhiraj still hasn't let go of Asha's wrist even as his gaze wavers, his eyelids closing and she gently loosens his fingers before placing his arm to rest on the stretcher. Taking the water bottle out of her bag, she supports his head, pouring a little into his mouth slowly, knowing that he must be dehydrated.

They finally set off and as Asha pulls the radio out of her bag, ready to contact the base and let them know that they've found Captain Kapoor, she notices Amiya looking at her strangely.

"What is it?" she asks her friend even as she begins preparing the radio.

"Didn't you notice that Captain Kapoor called you by another name?" Amiya asks her.

"Did he?" Asha asks because honestly in the relief of finding him, she can't remember what he might have said, but she had been sure that he had called her by her name.

Asha doesn't have time to worry about it now, instead she makes the call back to base, and as she begins to speak, Dhiraj's eyes once again open and he looks around, obviously disturbed, only calming when he spots her.

"You'll always come…" he murmurs weakly, before his eyes close once again, obviously not fully aware of what he's saying.

Asha places a hand on his head, smoothing back sweaty hair from his forehead almost tenderly.

"Just relax now, Sir, we're taking you back." She tells him and his eyes finally close properly as he falls asleep with her still smoothing his hair.

Asha finally makes the call.

Aalekh and Abhimanyu stand near the entrance to the base, waiting for their return. Abhimanyu has insisted on being there, intending to check on the injured soldier and tell off the lieutenants himself. As Aalekh watches Captain Samir pace back and forth, he remains tight lipped, having no idea how his mentor will react when he finds out. However there's no way he can tell Abhimanyu the truth now, what would he say, that really it's Naina who has gone to rescue Captain Rajveer? Aalekh can just imagine the reaction he would get to that. He knows… that it's a truth that has to be seen to be believed.

Finally the jeep pulls up, and Hussein is the first to climb out, grabbing one end of the stretcher and followed by Vijay who grabs the other. Abhimanyu hasn't spotted Asha as yet because her face is currently obscured as she bends over the stretcher checking on Dhiraj's state. Hussein hands over his end of the stretcher to the medical staff and steps forward, Amiya comes to stand next to Hussein, a nervous expression on her face as she sees Colonel Sharma standing along with a man who is obviously the new Brigadier. Samir rushes forward towards the stretcher, calling out Dhiraj's name and bending over him.

"It looks like the new Brigadier arrived while we were gone," Amiya whispers to Hussein, "And now he's come personally to welcome us back, how nice of him."

"Uh, hi Uncle Abhimanyu." Hussein says, sounding a bit nervous and Amiya gapes, looking from him to the Brigadier and back again.

"Exactly how many of our commanding officers are you going to call uncle?" she asks him in an undertone, "Is there anybody that you're not related to?"

"Don't you 'Uncle Abhimanyu' me, Hussein, do you have any idea how many rules you've broken?" Abhimanyu tells him strictly. "What am I supposed to tell your parents when I'm forced to punish you?"

"I'm sorry," Hussein tells him, "But I know Ammi and Abu will understand, and I know that you will too… they would've done the same thing."

"They did do the same thing…" Aalekh mutters.

Samir is still bent over Dhiraj trying to get a response out of him, his face blocking Asha's and it is when Dhiraj finally reacts, grabbing Asha's wrist yet again and starting to murmur that Abhimanyu receives the shock of his life.

"We're back on base now, Sir." Asha tells him, "We've brought you back safely, just as I promised we would."

That voice…

He couldn't forget that voice even after twenty one years, and he knows he would never forget it even after one hundred. Because it's the voice of one of two people that he truly failed in life, that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't save or help.

It was Naina's voice… Naina who had been Navin's sister, who had been Raj's love…

The moment that she looks up, her wrist still in Dhiraj's grasp, her eyes meet Abhimanyu's and he's not sure whether his heart is breaking or mending, or whether in one moment it has mended and broken all over again. Because the eyes are the same, and the determination in them…

Suddenly seeing the expression on Aalekh's face, the slight nod in the direction of the stretcher, he steps forward, barely able to control himself, hide his emotions, because he doesn't think he could handle it if he was wrong, doesn't think that his heart would be able to stand the disappointment if it's not…

But there, injured and bleeding and clearly in only a half conscious state is Raj… and for one moment his eyes open and he looks directly at Abhimanyu.

"What are you doing here?" Raj asks him, a look of confusion on his face, and Abhimanyu knows that in this feverish state, Raj at least half remembers him.

As the medical staff carry the stretcher away towards the infirmary, Abhimanyu can only stand there and watch it go, unable to speak a word.

And Aalekh has won the bet, because Abhimanyu no longer wants to punish the lieutenants, he wishes that he could hug all of them instead.

Because after a twenty five year wait, they've managed to do what he could not. They've brought his best friend back alive.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_"You love her, don't you?" Abhimanyu had asked him._

_He had looked up shocked, unable to believe that his friend had guessed the truth that he had concealed for so long. "What rubbish are you talking about?" he asked him, "Of course I don't, I just…"_

_"I notice that you haven't asked who I'm talking about." Abhi had replied, with a knowing look on his face that was at once sad and understanding._

_Raj's shoulders had sagged in defeat as he realised he had already given himself away. "Don't ask me this question," he had begged his friend, "Don't make me say it, because if I admit it even once…"_

_Abhimanyu had understood, he never asked ever again._

_He didn't need to, he already had his answer._

For most of the last twenty five years, Abhimanyu had felt completely and utterly alone.

Oh he had married, had children too. He had kept in touch with his old cadets, seeing them as often as possible, but he had still been alone.

Because one by one, his friends had left him.

First it had been Navin, and then Raj, both of their lives tragically cut short. In the end, he was the only one of the three friends who had been left, the only one that remained alive.

In the darkest moments… he had wished that it was the other way around, that it had been him who died and not Raj.

He had envied his ex-cadets in a way, although they had lost one of their best friends, they still had each other, friends who could truly understand each others' grief.

For the first four years after Raj's death he had tried to keep an eye on Naina, to ensure that nothing happened to her, to protect her for his friend's sake. But every time he saw her, she was further and further away than she had been the last time… detached, as if she had already left this world far behind and was preparing for the next one.

When she had died too, he had failed once again, failed to protect the girl that his two best friends had loved the most, one as a sister and one as….

Even if Raj had never admitted it, Abhimanyu had known, oh he had known.

He had known every time he saw Raj look at her longingly, every time he would speak of her, every time he had that far away look in his eyes. He had known and he had been too much of a coward to pursue the matter, to convince his friend to speak about his feelings.

He had thought that there would be time.

He had thought they would have their whole lives together to be happy, and that he could be there also, a friend to them until the end.

How was he supposed to know that fate had other plans?

He walks to the infirmary intending to check on Raj… Dhiraj, to sit by him for awhile, to savour the sight of his friend in front of him after twenty five long years and then he sees her sitting there, and realises that he feels absolutely no surprise at all.

Asha had not been able to sleep. She had been trying for the last two hours, tossing and turning while she thought about him lying in the infirmary. Finally she had realised that she wasn't going to get any sleep anytime soon and had quietly gotten out of bed, slipped on her sandles, put a shawl around her to protect her from the cold and came here to the infirmary.

Now she sat by his side, watching over him, unable to understand the immense feeling of relief she felt just to know that he was safe, that he was alive. She had never doubted that he would be alive, not even once, so then why had there been this fear that she wouldn't see him again, that she had lost him…

Asha placed a hand on his forehead, checking to see whether his fever had gone down or not and was relieved to see that it had subsided slightly. He was asleep, the result of the heavy dose of painkillers that they had given him. Unable to resist, Asha smoothed his hair from his face, thinking that he was probably overdue for a haircut. Dhiraj mumbled something in his sleep and she paused, hoping that she hadn't woken him up and removed her hand carefully.

She had just settled back in her seat to watch him again when she spotted the new Brigadier entering the room and quickly stood, saluting him.

Abhimanyu nodded in reply to her salute, allowing himself to take in the sight of her for the very first time. She was the same… exactly the same. There was only one thing that was different to the last time he had seen her alive, that blank defeated look in her eyes had been replaced by the same fire and determination that he used to see in her.

"At ease, Lieutenant." He told her, "Asha Dutt, isn't it?"

"Yes Sir," Asha replied a bit nervously, "I just thought that I would check on Captain Kapoor…"

"You and the other lieutenants did a good job bringing him back," Abhimanyu told her, "But I hope you realise how many rules you broke in doing so."

"Yes Sir, I do, and I am fully prepared to face the consequences." Asha told him confidently, and Abhimanyu felt his pride in her increase, bringing back all the old memories.

"Well you'll learn of the consequences tomorrow, Lieutenant Dutt, or rather today. It's quite late, I think it's time that you went to bed for the night." He suggests to her, and Asha glances at the clock on the wall, not having realised that it was exactly that late.

"Good night then, Sir." She tells him, and with a last glance at Dhiraj, leaves the infirmary.

Abhimanyu sits in the chair that she vacated, looking down at his friend. He's just pouring himself a glass of water, when Dhiraj stirs, then opens his eyes, regarding Abhimanyu with a gaze that is clouded by the effects of the medication, unclear and confused.

Abhimanyu waits for him to speak, praying that Raj might remember him, that he might be able to recognise him.

"I had a dream about you." Dhiraj finally says, "You asked whether I loved her… and I couldn't tell you the truth."

Abhimanyu feels like sobbing, because he remembers that very moment well. He remembers it and he wishes that that day he had pursued the matter, convinced Raj to admit his feelings, to tell her the truth. If he had, then might everything have turned out differently? Could there have been a happy ending?

"But I knew the truth," Abhimanyu tells him, "And that day I should've told you that it's alright to love her… that you have every right to love her."

"But I don't," Dhiraj replies tiredly, and Abhimanyu wonders whether it's Dhiraj or Raj who's speaking right now. "I can't love her… and I do… But I can't…"

"You do anyway, and you always will." Abhimanyu tells him, "You're not committing any crime, for god's sake allow yourself to be happy now at least."

Dhiraj smiles and closes his eyes and Abhimanyu knows that he won't remember any of this conversation when he wakes up in the morning.

But Abhimanyu's heart feels lighter because finally he had been able to give the advice that he wished he had given twenty five long years ago.

Dhiraj opened his eyes and tried to sit up, stopped by the drip hanging out of his arm and a shocking lightheaded feeling. He looked around, and saw Samir sitting by his bed with a smile on his face.

"So I really made it back to base." Dhiraj commented, "I thought that it might have all been a dream and I would wake up in that jungle again."

"No you really made it back, you arrived late yesterday and have been pretty much out of it since then." Samir tells him, "You have no idea how relieved I was when they brought you in."

"Rehman? Is he fine?" Dhiraj asks, worrying about the health of his soldier.

"He's still in the infirmary but they removed the bullet with no problems and he's well on his way to recovery." Samir tells Dhiraj, and helps him to sit up, adjusting the pillows.

"Then how did I get back here?" Dhiraj asks him, "Did Brigadier Kumar send a rescue mission?"

"No…" Samir answers a bit reluctantly, "Actually four lieutenants left the base without permission to rescue you."

And Dhiraj suddenly remembers… Asha's face above his, telling him that she would always come for him… and she had shouted to warn him, throwing molatov cocktails… no, she hadn't, the memories were all mixed up, but he remembered… she had smoothed his hair back, and the clearest memory of all, was the feel of her fingers in his hair.

"Where is she?" Dhiraj asked suddenly, "She's fine isn't she?"

"Oh she's fine," Samir replies, not having to ask who it is that he's talking about, "They're all fine, but they're currently receiving their punishment for having left the base without permission to rescue you."

"Punishment? From Nair?" Dhiraj asks him confused, because that had already happened….

"Nair, who's Nair?" Samir asked him, equally confused, and Dhiraj realised that he had no idea who Nair was either, "Brigadier Chauhan is going to give them their punishment."

"Chauhan? But he's…" And Dhiraj suddenly stopped talking, holding his hand up to his head, unsure of where these thoughts were coming from, of who it was that he knew and didn't know.

"He arrived yesterday, and was going to send out a rescue mission to bring you back. Luckily we received news that you'd already been found and were on your way back before the proper rescue mission left."

"But they're being punished." Dhiraj remarked worriedly, "Punished for rescuing one of their commanding officers."

"Don't worry, I don't think that Brigadier Chauhan will be too hard on them." Samir reassures him, "We'll know soon enough what the result is."

Dhiraj wonders what it is that's happening to her right now, whether she's in some kind of difficulty due to her rescue of him.

But at the same time, he can't stop thinking about it. She had come for him… she had told him that she would always come for him.

And he can still feel her fingers in his hair.

"Well it's not so bad," Amiya remarked to Asha as they did their packing. "After breaking so many rules we only received a one week suspension from duty, we would've gotten much worse under Brigadier Kumar."

"Still, a one week suspension… I think I would've preferred to be given solitary confinement." Asha groans, "Now I've got to go home, and you know how things are there…"

Amiya makes a face, "Even I'm worried about it, I know my father is going to be disappointed in me for getting in trouble so soon. Still, I'm sure he'll understand once I explain it."

"Well my parents are likely to use the whole thing as an excuse for trying to convince me to leave the army again." Asha told her, "Either that or try to get me engaged to Rajesh during this week…"

"Well there's no way we'll allow that to happen." Amiya tells her, "Hussein and I will come to your house and forcibly abduct you during your engagement ceremony. I'm sure we could even convince Vijay to come along." She grinned at the thought, thinking about how fun it would be.

"Oh don't worry Amiya, there's no way I'm going to let it get that far." Asha told her, "If it comes to that then I'm not too proud to come back to the base before I'm due and beg them to let me back in early."

"Are you almost done?" Amiya asks her, "My bag is already packed, I was thinking I would go and say goodbye to some friends before leaving."

"I'll be another couple of minutes," Asha tells her, "You go ahead."

Because Asha also knows that there is somebody she should say farewell to before she leaves, that if she doesn't see him at least once, see him awake and conscious, she won't be able to spend the next week in peace.

Amiya walks into the grounds and spots Samir exiting the infirmary.

"Sir!" she calls out, and looking over and spotting her, he smiles and walks towards her.

"How is Captain Kapoor now?" Amiya asks him, "Is he recovering well?"

"Dhiraj just woke up but he's going to be fine, he can't remember much of your rescue mission but he's at least talking coherently now." Samir tells her, looking relieved and very tired.

"You haven't slept much over the past couple of days, have you, Sir?" Amiya says, sounding concerned, "I think you need to get some rest."

"I certainly will," Samir assures her, "Now that Dhiraj is awake I'm thinking I'll go and catch up on some sleep, Colonel Sharma has given me permission to take the day off."

"Well I'll see you in a week, Sir." Amiya tells him, "We've been suspended temporarily so we're all heading home for that time."

"A week?" Samir asks her, "I mean, I knew you were going to be punished but… it will be strange not having you all on base for a week."

Amiya grinned at this, "I know, Sir, but don't worry, we'll be back in no time at all and ready to get into even more trouble."

Samir smiled back, "Well enjoy your holiday then…" he told her, "Although it is a suspension, it's a good chance to see your family."

"Definitely," Amiya agreed, "The only one I feel sorry for is Asha… I think that the last thing she wants right now is a chance to see her family." And then Amiya suddenly remembered something she had been wanting to ask Samir. "Do you know anybody called Naina?" she asks him.

"Naina?" Samir replied, confused. "No, why?"

"Because when we found Captain Kapoor, he called Asha 'Naina'." Amiya informs him, "I was wondering who Naina was."

"Well as far as I know, Dhiraj doesn't know any Naina either." Samir replies with a frown on his face, "However I could always be wrong, it's possible that I don't know all of his friends."

"Well I suppose it will have to remain a mystery for now," Amiya sighed and then gave Samir a bright smile, "I'll see you in a week then, Sir."

"I'll see you in a week, Lieutenant and thank you… for everything you did to bring Dhiraj back."

"It was no problem at all," Amiya reassures him, "I think that you understand very well that we'll do anything for our friends."

Samir understands exactly what it is that she means.

Dhiraj has just closed his eyes, exhausted and needing to sleep when he hears a footstep, and automatically, before he even opens his eyes to check, he knows that it's her.

He would know her anywhere.

He opens his eyes and drinks in the sight of her, noticing that for once she's wearing casual clothes rather than her uniform, her hair pulled back in a pony tail rather than a braid.

"I didn't mean to wake you, Sir." She tells him quietly.

"I wasn't asleep." He replies, and she sits down in the chair next to his bed, pulling it slightly closer. Dhiraj thinks that even this small distance is too far, and wonders what has happened to him.

"Are you feeling better now?" she asks him, "Can I get you anything, water, or…"

"No," Dhiraj tells her, "Just sit here with me for awhile."

Asha looks surprised at this, but doesn't move from her seat, looking at him earnestly as if to check whether he's in pain.

"You came for me," he tells her, "Risking your own life, you came to rescue me, without caring about the consequences."

"I wasn't alone, Sir." Asha tells him, a little embarrassed, "Amiya, Hussein and Vijay also came to rescue you."

"I know that," Dhiraj tells her, "But somehow I also know… that it was your idea."

She doesn't deny it, just sits there continuing to look at him quietly.

"I won't ever forget it," Dhiraj tells her, "That at such a time… you came for me."

"I will always come for you, Sir." Asha tells him intensely, and Dhiraj stares at her, surprised by her stark honesty. "Whenever you're in trouble, I will always be there."

Reaching out he grabs her hand, holding it tightly. The pressure is almost too much for Asha to bear but she doesn't complain. Warmth spreads through her from where their two hands are joined, he is holding her hand so tightly that she can feel the calluses on his fingers in minute detail.

"Asha," he tells her softly, and the look in his eyes is almost too much for her to stand. Her breath quickening, she breaks eye contact, afraid of what she might do if she doesn't.

"I'll be gone for a week." She tells him, trying to diffuse the sudden tension between them, but very aware that he still hasn't let go of her hand.

"Why?" Dhiraj asks, his mind not fully functioning as he continues to stare at her, "Where are you going?"

"We've been suspended." Asha tells him, realising that he wouldn't have heard about it already. "All four of us are being sent home for a week."

"But they can't do that," Dhiraj protests, "I'll talk to the Brigadier, I'll ask him to…"

"We broke the rules," Asha replies, "We're lucky to be getting such a light sentence under the circumstances. Hussein and Vijay are actually quite happy to be getting a holiday."

"And you?" Dhiraj asks her, "Are you happy?"

"No," Asha admits, "Because I don't want to…"

She realises that she was about to say 'leave you', but stops herself just in time. She has to stop this nonsense right now, he's her commanding officer and under no circumstances can she allow herself to feel… what it is that she feels.

"I don't want to go home," she finally replies, "You know what my family is like, if I'm home for a week they'll start pressuring me to both leave the army and get engaged to Rajesh."

Dhiraj's grip on her hand suddenly tightens at that statement so that he's now almost hurting her, and Asha is forced to look back at him, and the expression in his eyes is indescribable… she wonders whether it's anger that she sees, or fear, or… jealousy.

"I've told you this before," he tells her, "Do not marry him."

Asha knows immediately that it's not advice, it's a command.

"You deserve better." Dhiraj tells her, his gaze burning her as it touches on her face, "You deserve…" he takes a deep breath as if to calm himself down, but his next words take her by surprise "If you get engaged to him then I'll kill him."

Asha is shocked, not only because she knows he's partially serious, but also because a part of her is happy to hear it.

"I won't," she whispers to him, "And I'll be back in a week…"

He loosens his grip on her hand only slightly on hearing this, but doesn't let go, and for a moment she thinks he might say something more, but his gaze shifts to the doorway, and Asha turns around too, to see Amiya standing there.

She wishes that Dhiraj would drop her hand, because the last thing she wants is for Amiya to get the wrong idea at the moment, but he doesn't, not seeming to care what she thinks or not realising that it would be an issue.

"Hi Sir," Amiya tells Dhiraj, studiously avoiding looking at their hands, "I'm very happy to see you awake and looking so much better."

"Thank you Lieutenant Chatterjee." He tells her, "I know what you did for me, and you truly have my gratitude."

"Oh it was nothing, Sir." Amiya tells him, "And thanks to you we now get a week's holiday, which is why I'm here. Asha… it's time for us to leave."

Dhiraj reluctantly releases her hand, which throbs slightly with pain after the tightness of his grip. Asha wonders whether bruises will develop, and thinks that she wouldn't mind if they did.

Because it would be a reminder.

"I'll be back in a week, Sir." She tells him, "I hope that by then you'll be fully recovered."

"Remember what I told you." Dhiraj says, the intensity returning to his voice, "I'm serious about it."

Asha nods, and walks outside with Amiya, heading towards their transport.

"What did he tell you?" Amiya asks her curiously, even while knowing that Asha might not wish to tell her anyway.

Asha is unsure of what to answer, because how can she tell Amiya that Captain Kapoor has threatened to kill Rajesh if she gets engaged to him.

"Nothing… he was grateful for us rescuing him." She finally replies, feeling bad about lying to her best friend.

Her hand throbs.

As does her heart.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

_She wakes up and for the first few minutes she just concentrates on breathing._

_She breathes past the pain, the pain of having to live in a world where he no longer exists._

_She concentrates on this, because honestly she would prefer it if her breath was to stop and her pain was to end once and for all._

_But she keeps breathing, and after a few minutes she's finally able to get up, to get ready for the day ahead._

_She continues because she has no other choice._

_Captain Rajveer's protégé will never admit defeat._

_She breathes in, she breathes out._

_But the pain never goes away._

Asha woke disorientated, unable to remember where she was or who she was… all she could feel was a sense of loss, so piercing that she could feel a sharp pain in her heart.

She breathed in, opened her eyes and remembered. She was at home for a week, suspended from duty. At home…

Asha sighed, it was only the beginning of the second day and already she was eager for the week to be over. The first day had been spent explaining to her family exactly why she was suspended and why she should be going back to Tawang again after the suspension was over. They had wrongly assumed that being punished might make her want to give up the army, to finally abandon her dream.

Asha wondered whether they would ever give up trying to convince her to leave the army, whether she would ever truly be free of their expectations.

She bathed and dressed slowly, not wanting to go downstairs and face another day of it, eventually she made it to the dining table, intending to have a slow breakfast while she faced yet more questions and suggestions.

However there was a surprise waiting for her there.

A very unwelcome surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Asha asked him flatly with a touch of hostility. "Shouldn't you still be in Tawang?"

"Well I was due for a holiday," Rajesh explained, a slight smirk on his face, "And what better time to come home than when you would also be here."

Asha struggled not to glare at him and then wondered why she was trying, she then turned to her mother, an accusing look on her face.

"And who mentioned to Rajesh that I was home for the week?" she asked accusingly, and her mother looked slightly guilty for a moment before recovering.

"Now don't be like that, Asha." She told her, "It's very nice of Rajesh to come and visit while he can spend some time with you, perhaps now is finally the time to…"

"Excuse me," Asha announced hastily, leaving the room without any further notice. The first thing she did was to message Amiya that there was an emergency and her help was needed.

Amiya turned up within half an hour, Asha spotted her through an upper window where she had been hiding in her bedroom and rushed to open the door, ushering her friend inside and up the stairs before Rajesh could spot either one of them.

"What's the problem?" Amiya whispered to her, "What's the big emergency?"

"The problem is currently sitting in my living room charming my parents," Asha informed her, "Can you believe he's followed me here too?"

"Can I just get it straight who you're talking about?" Amiya asked her, "Because from where I'm standing there could be a couple of options of guys who would follow you home."

Asha gave Amiya a look of disbelief. "Rajesh, who else?" she asked her, "Who were you thinking of?"

"Well I was just wondering why you would be angry if he came to your house…" Amiya mused thoughtfully, and then seeing Asha's expression quickly tried to cover her mistake, "Uh, I thought maybe Hussein had come to visit."

"Why would he? He's probably having a great time with his Abu and Ammi who are not at all angry about him being suspended." Asha fumed, and Amiya nodded.

"Lucky Hussein," she agreed, "It took me a full three hours of explaining before my father decided he wasn't angry at me anymore."

"But what do we do about my problem?" Asha asked her, "I just know…. That they're going to ask me to get engaged to him while I'm here, and I can't… I just can't."

She couldn't describe the level of despair that filled her at the thought, that she might be trapped with him, without love, without….

"I can't believe he's followed you all the way here, that besharam…" Amiya started to say, "One thing is for certain, when Captain Kapoor finds out he'll definitely break his legs this time."

"He's not just going to break his legs, he's going to kill him." Asha states without thinking, and Amiya stares at her.

"What are you talking about?" she asks Asha, "Is something going on that I don't know about?"

"No… no, god no…. just, he said… and…" Asha suddenly stops, trying not to blush and not wanting to tell Amiya exactly what it was that he had said, how he had looked at her in that moment, his grip on her hand….

"Fine," Amiya tells her, "So for now Captain Kapoor killing Rajesh will remain our back up plan, right now we need another way to ensure you don't end up engaged to him."

Asha nodded, thankful that at least she had one friend with her while this was happening.

Once Amiya had convinced Asha that they should go back downstairs, they entered the living room to find Rajesh drinking tea with Asha's parents and laughing with them about something.

"Hello Rajesh," Amiya told him coldly, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"And it seems that every time I see Asha you're somewhere around her." Rajesh commented in a similar tone of voice, making it clear that there were no friendly feelings between them.

"Well that's what friends are for," Amiya tells him, "And you know Asha has quite a few friends these days, I believe you've met some of them."

By this stage Asha's parents were looking confused, unsure of what was going on since the atmosphere in the room had changed remarkably with Asha and Amiya's entrance.

"Oh yes, I've certainly met some of Asha's new friends," Rajesh practically spits out, "She's doing quite well for herself, isn't she?"

"What is he talking about, Asha? Which new friends?" her mother asks her, a frown on her face.

"He's talking rubbish, Ma." Asha told her mother, with an angry look at Rajesh, "He got into a fight with somebody on the base last time he came to visit."

"Well it certainly seemed to me like that somebody was a bit too interested in your welfare." Rajesh remarks, "Or perhaps my remark hit a little too close to home."

"What is he talking about, Asha?" her father now asked her, "Is there something that you haven't told us."

"I'll tell you uncle, I witnessed the whole incident." Amiya volunteers, "Rajesh and Asha were arguing and one of our superior officers became concerned. When he came over to check on the situation, Rajesh made a very insulting remark and he…"

"Punched me and nearly damn well broke my nose." Rajesh broke in, "And I don't feel that there was any need at all for any action like that, unless what I said was actually true."

"Don't even start that with me, Rajesh." Asha tells him angrily, "If Captain Kapoor hadn't intervened then I would've punched you myself, I might even have been tempted to do worse. I'm sorry Ma and Baba if you were planning on getting us engaged, but honestly I want to stop this business right here. I have no interest in marrying Rajesh and I never will."

Saying this she stands up and storms out of the room, leaving her parents looking at each other confused, and Rajesh staring after her angrily.

Amiya stood up awkwardly, wondering whether she had actually helped things or made them worse.

"I hope it's okay if I take Asha to visit my parents for awhile, they've been wanting to see her." She tells them, before making her own escape as quickly as possible.

One thing was for certain, Asha's parents now knew for certain she would not be consenting to any engagement this week. Amiya doubted if they would be brave enough to try again.

It was now the fourth day since the suspension of the four Lieutenants and for the past four days, Dhiraj had become increasingly unbearable to live with.

Samir had been torn between wanting to visit his friend in the infirmary and wanting to avoid him at all costs, because every day Dhiraj's mood has become increasingly worse. Today Dhiraj had finally been discharged with instructions to use crutches and stay off his leg as much as possible for the next few days, so avoiding him would now prove to be impossible.

"So have you heard the response from the Chinese government about the incident?" Samir asked him, trying to choose a topic that would distract Dhiraj from the reason of his bad mood.

"Same old political propaganda, that it wasn't them, it was actually the people of Tawang rising up who want to return to their rightful homeland of China… blah, blah blah." Dhiraj replies, rolling his eyes. "What else can we expect really, that they admit it was their soldiers sneaking across the border?"

"No, of course not, that would be far too much to hope for." Samir agreed, "But that story they've come up with makes it sound more and more likely that they'll be launching more attacks in the future."

"I think we can count on it." Dhiraj agreed, "From now on we'll have to be on full alert, taking extra precautions."

"Exactly," Samir tells him, "We certainly don't want to have to launch any more rescue missions."

As soon as he's said it he almost hits himself for being so stupid as to bring the topic up.

Dhiraj's frown deepens, and he gets the same look on his face that Samir has been seeing for the past four days, a look that clearly means trouble.

"Dhiraj… it's only for three more days." He tries to tell him, "It's not like they're in solitary confinement, they're probably having a great time with their families."

"Anything could happen in those three days," Dhiraj tells him with a hint of desperation in his voice, "I want h… I want them back now, not in three days time, they should never have been sent away in the first place."

"Dhiraj, sometimes I think you forget what the meaning of your name is... thoda to dhiraj rakh yaar." Samir tries to joke with him in order to lighten the mood, but Dhiraj doesn't seem to appreciate it.

Samir suddenly realises that he's missing Lieutenant Chatterjee terribly, at least when she was here he had somebody to discuss his best friend's strange behaviour with.

"I think I've been quite patient enough," Dhiraj replies, "And I swear that if he…" and then he stops, as if he wasn't meant to say that much.

"If 'he' does what?" Samir asks, confused, "What on earth are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Dhiraj tells him quickly, "Just… these next three days should pass quickly."

Samir was praying for that equally as hard as Dhiraj was.

His own sanity depended upon it.

"For whatever reason it is, I'm glad we've been able to have you with us for the last week." Hussein's Ammi told him as she ruffled his hair and put a plate of pakoras and cup of chai in front of him.

"Don't spoil him so much, Pooja." Ali told her with an affectionate smile, "We shouldn't be encouraging him to break the rules."

"Oh fo, Ali, obviously he did the right thing, otherwise Abhimanyu Sir would've given him a worse punishment." Pooja told her husband, smiling at her son lovingly.

"Just remember Hussein, the only time you should ever break the rules is to save a life, to fight for the truth or stop an injustice from being committed." Ali reminds him, and Hussein nods seriously, agreeing with him.

"Believe me, Abu, I will always remember that." Hussein replies, "You know I will never break your principles."

"That's my brave son," Pooja grabbed Hussein's cheeks affectionately and Ali couldn't help but smile.

"So you'll be leaving today?" Ali asked him, "I thought you might leave tomorrow instead?"

"Actually I was thinking of stopping off at KMA to say hello to my old teachers…" Hussein told them, unable to think of a better excuse.

"What a wonderful idea!" Pooja exclaimed, "While you're there, you can visit Naina and Roshni as well, they would love to see you."

"Of course I will," Hussein promised her, glad not to be caught out.

"Just don't tell any of your teachers that you were suspended." Ali tells him, "Let them think you've been given a holiday instead."

Hussein nods, not wanting to mention that he doubts he'll actually end up seeing any of his teachers.

"And I'll make sure to pack some real besan laddoos for you too… just make sure that you give some to Qaidi… Aalekh, and Abhimanyu Sir, and share some with your new friends too, they sound like such sweet girls." Pooja tells him, and Hussein nods, biting his lip.

He hates keeping secrets from his parents and this was only the second one that he had ever kept. For the past week he has struggled with his decision not to tell them, to conceal the truth about Naina and Captain Rajveer. He had thought it over again and again, almost blurting out the truth a couple of times. It was only his promise to Aalekh that stopped him, and his own belief that it really was for the best if they didn't find out just yet.

"I'll definitely share the laddoos with them Ammi…" he told her quietly, "I know that they're Asha's favourites."

He knew even without her having to tell him.

After all, they had been Naina's.

The next day Hussein found himself once again outside the gates of KMA, a smile on his face as he remembered his own time there. He had barely stepped inside when two girls waiting with a group of friends spotted him and quickly stood, rushing towards him, one faster than the other.

She threw her arms around him, and Hussein hugged her tightly, before leaning down to plant a kiss on her cheek, too embarrassed to do anything else within academy grounds. He had missed her so much over the last few months, needed her, known that if only she had been there she would've understood.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she scolded him, still not taking her arms from around his neck, "If I'd known then…"

"Then she would've spent the whole of this morning trying to figure out what to wear," the other girl teased, coming up to join them. "Thank goodness you've come on a Sunday Hussein Bhaiyya, otherwise she would probably run away from the academy to spend some time with you."

Finally releasing the girl in his arms, Hussein stepped forward and hugged his friend lightly.

"I had no idea if I would be able to come or not which was why I didn't tell you in advance." He says to both of them by way of excuse. "And how are you, Roshni? And how's Tara?"

"Oh I'm fine Bhaiyya, and so is Tara di, her MBA is going well… or should I be calling you Jiju these days?" she teases him, "But I know it's not really me you've come to see, so I'll let you two have some privacy now." And with a small wave she walked back towards the group of friends waiting for her.

"I've missed you, Naina." Hussein told his girlfriend, taking her hands in his and squeezing them.

"And what do you think I've been feeling this whole time?" she asks him, "At least you know I'm at the academy, with you at the border I worry every day that…" she can't even complete the sentence, the thought upsets her so much.

"Shall we go somewhere to talk?" Hussein asks her, and she nods. Putting his arm around her shoulders, they walk out of the academy.

An hour later, they've talked about Naina's second year at KMA so far as well as Hussein's experiences at the border and his new friends. They sit on the grass with their hands entwined, Naina has taken off her shoes, curling her legs up so that they slightly rest against Hussein's.

"So do I need to be jealous that your two best friends are girls?" she asks him jokingly.

"Of course not," Hussein replies in the same light tone, "You know I've taken after my father in these things."

Naina smiles, but something has been disturbing her all afternoon. The calm that is usually present in Hussein is gone, and she can sense that he is troubled by something, that he wants to express something to her but is having trouble doing so.

"What is it?" she asks him, "I know there's something weighing you down, don't pretend that there isn't."

Hussein raises one hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, before he touches her cheek lightly. "You've always understood me so well." He tells her.

"Then whatever it is, share it with me." Naina pleads with him, "I can tell that it's troubling you, and I don't like to see that."

Hussein wavers, remembering his promise not to tell. But if there's anyone who will understand then it will be Naina… because she also has a name to live up to, because she has always understood her responsibilities to that name…

Hussein makes his decision.

"You have to trust me," he tells her, "It will all seem incredible at first, but everything I'm about to tell you is true, and you have to promise me that you won't tell a single person."

Naina nods seriously, and Hussein knows she'll never break her promise.

And he finally lightens some of the burden on his soul.

Asha had attempted to remain as silent as possible during the trip back, so irritated at having to travel with him that she wasn't willing to say even one word. Her parents had insisted on it, arguing that they both had to travel back anyway, so why not go together, as this way she would be more comfortable.

It had been made very clear to Asha that after her refusal of the engagement, she was not allowed to refuse this too.

So Asha had spent the journey refusing to look at or speak to Rajesh, not wanting him to believe he would have any chance at all.

He would never have a chance.

Finally she was going back.

With any luck, she would never have to leave again.

Despite her protests, Rajesh insists on dropping her to the base, even walking her inside.

"Look Asha," he tells her, "Maybe I've been an ass in the past…"

Asha thinks that it definitely wasn't maybe…

"But I'm willing to give it another shot, and try to annoy you less in future. Friends?"

Asha wonders what has gotten into Rajesh that he's suddenly being so friendly, making so much effort. She's so confused by it that before thinking, she actually nods, and before she can react, before she can stop him, he leans over and kisses her on the cheek.

Asha is shocked until she sees his eyes shift to a spot behind her head, and it is then that she sees Captain Kapoor standing there, a fierce look in his eyes, one fist clenched.

"I'll see you later." Rajesh tells her, a satisfied look on his face, and turns to go before she can react, leaving Asha wishing that she had punched him right there.

Asha turns to face Dhiraj, suddenly nervous, because the look on his face… is dangerous indeed.

She takes a step forward, wanting to explain, to tell him that it's not what it seemed, that she didn't forget what he had said, but words fail her as she looks at him.

Dhiraj walks forward, standing so close that Asha can feel his breath on her face.

"Come with me," he tells her in a voice that is no less than a command, and grabs her wrist, before beginning to walk away from the gate.

Without even a thought of refusing, Asha follows.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_If there is one thing that Raj knows well, then it is how to be patient. _

_He has had to be patient throughout his life, first with his attempts to prove Navin innocent, and now…_

_Now while waiting for the day that he can finally tell her how he feels._

_But there are times when his patience is tested, times when he wishes he could forget everything and finally speak what is in his heart._

_Like right now, as he watches Huda trying to flirt with her._

_He watches, and struggles with the jealousy he feels, that Huda can express freely what he can not. _

_He fears… that in the end he might be too late. _

_But he remains patient, because he still has hope._

_Because the way Naina smiles at him… she has never smiled at anyone else._

_And he knows that she never ever will._

Dhiraj's grip on her hand remains tight as he leads Asha wherever it is he's taking her, and she glances around, finally beginning to become nervous and noticing that they've attracted quite a bit of attention.

"Sir," she hisses at him, but he doesn't respond, "Captain Kapoor!" he still keeps walking as if he hasn't heard anything. "Dhiraj!" she finally calls out in desperation, and shocked at hearing his name from her lips, he finally stops.

"What is it?" he asks, gazing down at her, still grasping her hand.

"Sir, people are looking at us…" Asha tells him almost pleadingly and startled, Dhiraj finally drops her hand, realising how much of a scene he's creating.

"Follow me," he tells Asha in a serious tone, walking slightly ahead of her, and she does, at the same time wondering why she's doing this so unquestioningly. It is only when they reach the area of the officer's quarters that Asha realises where he's taking her, and her heart starts thumping against her ribcage. He opens the door to his own quarters and gestures for her to come inside. Hesitating only slightly, Asha crosses the threshold, slightly startled when he shuts the door hard behind her.

He advances on her slowly, and she backs away, finally hitting the wall. He picks up her hand, inspecting the fingers, and at first Asha is confused about what he's doing.

"Good," Dhiraj breathes, and the relief is evident in his voice, "I thought that maybe…"

Asha finally realises what it was that he was checking for. She knows that there's no reason for her to do so, but she wants to reassure him, put his mind at ease.

"No," she tells him softly, "They wanted me to… but I refused."

Dhiraj stares at her, and his gaze is so intent that Asha wishes she could look away. She's dimly aware that he's still holding her hand, that he hasn't let go of her fingers yet but in fact has grasped them even tighter.

Then before she has time to even realise what's happening, Dhiraj moves, quicker than she's ever seen him move before. He pulls her to him, clutching her arms so tightly that it begins to hurt.

"I wasn't joking, I would've killed him." He tells her, his grip finally loosening on her arms as soon as soon as he's said it, "I would've…" and he lifts the fingers of his right hand to trail them down her cheek, gently, almost reverently.

Asha thinks that if she had any sense at all, now would be the time when she would step away, or at least turn her head, but instead she leans into his touch, her eyes closing. It is then that she feels his lips on her cheek, as his hands trail down her arms to grasp both her hands, entwining his fingers with hers, his grip hard, determined. He kisses her cheek even harder then, and Asha realises through a slightly clouded mind that it is the same cheek Rajesh had kissed as he dropped her off. She has the sudden feeling that Dhiraj is trying to erase the touch of the other man on her, to mark her as his own.

She opens her eyes, and he breaks away from her, staring at her as if seeking something from her. Asha blinks, and at that one moment, she realises that she does know exactly what she wants… even if she shouldn't…

It only takes that one moment, and Dhiraj sees the consent in her eyes, consent that she had never meant to give. In one smooth move he pulls her to him, crushing her so that she is entrapped between him and wall.

And he's kissing her neck so hard that she knows she'll have a bruise there in the morning, but she doesn't care, she really doesn't care, because somehow it just feels so right. And she's clutching him so hard through his shirt, that she's sure her nails must be leaving marks in his skin, but that doesn't matter either, because she needs to hold him, she needs to mark him as hers, and she's never felt a need this great before in her entire life. This passion consumes her like a fire and she wonders whether she will end up burning along with it.

His hands and his lips are all over her, as he tugs off her jacket, throwing it aside carelessly. His touch burns her skin, and she presses him closer, wanting to feel… wanting to know… He pushes her onto the bed, pinning her down with his own body. She can feel the heat radiating off him, and Dhiraj kisses her neck, her shoulder, her cheeks, finally his lips meet hers, and Asha can't help but gasp as he kisses her hungrily, as if he has been starving for her touch for far too many years now. One hand moves to below her waist, supporting her, pulling her up even closer to him. He moves his other hand to her leg, gripping her thigh tightly as if to steady himself.

Dhiraj captures her mouth again, accidentally knocking his teeth against hers in his haste to kiss her. He removes his hand from her waist, moving it up to tangle with her hair, pressing her face even closer to his.

And he's so warm, and alive, and Asha wonders why on earth they waited this long, because the way that he's kissing her, the way that he presses his lean body against hers, and the look in his eyes as he breaks away to gaze down at her, a strange combination of desire and confusion and relief. All of these things make Asha forget that there is a reason they shouldn't be doing this, a reason that she should stop this right now.

"Asha," he breathes, pressing his face into her neck once again to kiss it, and she shudders, unable to control herself.

She knows that she has to say something, do something, but he has wrapped an arm around her waist again and is pressing her to him even harder. And she can't help but feel that the most important thing right now is simply to touch him, and so she slips her fingers through hair that has grown far too long, combing them through it with such tenderness that he looks at her in surprise.

They pause, perhaps only seeing each other properly for the first time since she arrived back. The look on Dhiraj's face changes from pure desire to something softer… It is then that he realises what it was that he was about to do, and startled he stares at her in shock, because this isn't the way it should happen…

It only takes one second for the fog that has been clouding Asha's mind to clear and she is horrified at exactly what it is that she was about to do. Hurriedly she tries to tug her t-shirt back down from where it has been pushed partially up her waist, Dhiraj still hasn't moved his hand from her thigh, and she pushes it off hastily, before trying to get up. However trapped beneath the weight of his body, she can't lift herself and Asha shoves Dhiraj in order to get him to move. The move is enough to wake Dhiraj up properly and he scrambles aside so that she can stand.

Asha doesn't even want to think about what just nearly happened or why it happened, and without looking at him she runs out of the room, completely forgetting about her jacket.

Dhiraj stands there for a moment, shocked and unable to believe exactly what it is that's just happened.

"Asha!" he calls out after her, but she's already gone, the door banging behind her.

"Sir!" Samir turns around to see Amiya hurrying towards him, a smile on her face and he can't help but smile in return.

"Welcome back, Lieutenant Chatterjee, how was your suspension?" he asks her.

"Oh it was great!" Amiya tells him, and then realises she should sound a bit more repentant about the whole thing, "Uh, I mean, I've truly learned my lesson from this experience."

Samir chuckles, having expected just this response from her, and they begin to walk together towards the officers quarters.

"Why isn't Lieutenant Dutt with you?" he asks, "You both went to Kolkata, I would've expected you to come back together."

"Oh her parents sent her back with that idiot buffa… with Rajesh." Amiya tells him.

"Why?" Samir asks, nervous. The last thing he needs is for Asha Dutt to have decided to marry that man. If Dhiraj is unbearable now, then Samir doesn't even want to imagine what he might be like when he hears this news.

"Because she wouldn't agree to an engagement, so they're still hoping she'll somehow mysteriously fall in love with him." Amiya tells Samir with a shrug, "Why are you so concerned?"

"Nothing," Samir answers hurriedly, and then at the suspicious look in her eye, "I was just worried about how… uh… certain people might respond if she had gotten engaged."

"Ah," Amiya replies, understanding fully. "And have certain people recovered from their leg wound yet?"

"Yes, he's up and walking around now." Samir answers without thinking.

"Then I'll stop by and say hi," Amiya says brightly, "It will be good to see him back to normal."

They're just walking towards Samir and Dhiraj's quarters when they both pause, frozen to the spot by the sight in front of them. The door to the room flies open, and running so fast that they almost can't identify her, Asha exits the room. A few seconds later Dhiraj also comes out, looking in the direction she's run before punching the door with his hand, so hard that it swings backwards and hits the wall before he heads back inside.

"That was…" Amiya starts to say.

"Yes it was…" Samir continues.

"Then I'll go…"

"And I will too…"

And unable to complete even a single sentence due to their shock, they both move in separate directions, going after their best friends.

Dhiraj looks up as the door opens, hoping that it might be her, that she has come back and he can explain… but instead he sees Samir standing there, staring at him in disbelief and a certain amount of disappointment.

"Dhiraj what just happened?" he asks him.

"It wasn't…" Dhiraj starts to say, but Samir cuts him off, refusing to listen.

"What it seemed?" he asks with disbelief, "Oh I certainly hope it wasn't, but somehow I think it was probably exactly what it seemed."

"I swear I didn't mean this to happen," Dhiraj tells him, placing his head in his hands "I don't know what happened, I just saw her and…"

"You saw her and suddenly you lost all reason and common sense?" Samir asks him, before sighing tiredly, "Dhiraj look at me, look at me now."

When his friend looked up, his eyes were red, and his face spoke of despair.

"Dhiraj, this has gone way too far." Samir told him, "I know you like her, but this… do you realise that you could be court martialled for this? Your entire career, her career, everything could be ruined."

Dhiraj knew that Samir was right, he knew that he had been incredibly stupid.

But with the feel of her skin still tingling in his senses, and her scent still in the air, he's having a hard time regretting what he did.

The way that she had looked at him for that one moment… the expression in her eyes. Nobody had ever looked at him that way before in his entire life.

Seeing the emotions cross Dhiraj's face, the confusion that he seems to be feeling, Samir softens. He can't believe that his friend has done something this stupid, but he also knows that it wasn't intended.

"Exactly how far did things go?" Samir asks him worriedly, hoping that he doesn't need to fear the worst. "Wait, do I really want to know the answer to that?"

"Not far… quite far… not that far." Dhiraj can't make up his mind, because all he can think about is _her_, and the feel of her skin under his fingers, and her lips when he had kissed her…

"Tell me the truth now," Samir asks Dhiraj seriously, "Are you in love with her or just attracted to her?"

"I don't know…" Dhiraj tells him, and the look in his eyes is one of pure helplessness, "I don't know what I feel for her… I just _feel_…"

"Well just try and feel a bit more… sensibly." Samir tells him, "You know that the army frowns on this type of thing, of superior officers having relationships with their juniors."

"And what about you?" Dhiraj asks almost accusingly, trying to shift the blame away from himself. "Don't pretend that you don't like her friend, I've seen you two together quite often."

Samir gave a short laugh… if only Dhiraj knew the truth about what it was he and Amiya mainly talked about. "Whether I like her or not is not the issue," he tells him, "The issue is that I'm not about to drag her to my room and start… well…"

Dhiraj buries his head in his hands, realising that he can't make any more excuses.

"And what are you going to do now?" Samir asks him, "Do you realise that you two have to work together, that we're in a war time situation? What exactly are you going to say to her?"

Dhiraj remains silent, and Samir sighs, realising that he'll probably have to be the one to try and fix this. He spots a jacket tossed carelessly on the floor and picks it up, realising that it's Asha's.

"I'll just go… and give Lieutenant Dutt her jacket back." He tells Dhiraj, "Just sit here until I arrive back and try to think of something to fix this."

His head still buried in his hands, Dhiraj doesn't even respond.

Amiya finds Asha in their room, sitting on the bed and hugging her knees, shivering as if she's just come in from the cold.

"Asha, what on earth just happened?" Amiya asked her, crouching down so that she was at eye level with her friend. "Please tell me something."

Asha just shakes her head, still stunned, reeling from what had almost happened, from what she had nearly…

"I swear," Asha tells her in a shaky voice, "I wasn't going to… I mean I didn't intend to… I'm not… I'm not that type of girl, I'm really not."

Amiya just stares at her, hoping that she's misunderstood and that it's not what she's thinking.

"Asha, for god's sakes just tell me what happened, you're scaring me!" she pleads with her, but Asha just shakes her head, biting her lip and clutching her knees. Amiya is about to start pleading with her again when there's a knock at the door and she opens it to see Samir standing there, Asha's jacket in his hand and an embarrassed look on his face.

Amiya grabs the jacket and puts it inside the room, before turning to Asha. "Asha, I'll be right back, you just stay here and try to relax." She tells her, before walking outside and shutting the door.

Amiya and Samir walk a short distance away before she turns to face him, clearly angry. "I don't know exactly what happened, but I do know that I am about to murder your best friend, so prepare to save him if you can." She tells Samir in a very dangerous tone, "What the hell did he do to her? She's so traumatised she can barely talk."

"Look I don't know exactly what happened either," Samir tells her desperately, "But one thing I know for certain is that Dhiraj didn't mean to… I mean he didn't plan to… actually I think he might have temporarily lost his mind." Samir finishes lamely, "He's been going slowly crazy without her all week and I think that when she came back…"

"That doesn't give him the right to attack my friend, I swear I'm going to make a complaint, I'll…"

"Hey, calm down! From what I can tell, nobody was attacked." Samir tells her quickly before the situation gets worse. "I think that whatever happened was actually mutual."

"Asha is not that type of girl!" Amiya tells him, sounding offended for her friend's sake. "She's never even had a boyfriend before let alone… well… whatever it is that happened… almost happened." Amiya is getting embarrassed to even be discussing this with Samir, and he's not sure whether he should be trying to calm her down or defend Dhiraj instead.

"Hey, Dhiraj is not that kind of guy either, believe me! Usually he's one of the calmest and most sensible people I know, it's only around your friend that he seems to lose his mind."

"Well is that her fault?" Amiya asks, "How can she help it if she makes him crazy?"

Samir is just about to retort when he spots Hussein walking towards them with a cautious look on his face, obviously having realised that they were arguing.

"Uh, hi Amiya, hi Captain Samir." He tells them both carefully, utterly confused about why they seem to be fighting when they usually get on so well together, and wanting to diffuse the situation "It's good to see you both again… would you like some laddoos? My Ammi made them."

"Hussein, this is not the time for laddoos, we're in a crisis!" Amiya informs him and then quickly changes her mind, "Actually I was wrong, this is exactly the time for laddoos, give me one."

Hussein takes the tin out of his bag and opening it, hands a laddoo to Amiya.

"Amiya, how are laddoos supposed to solve this problem?" Samir asks her, not even realising that he's called her by her first name for a change.

"They're not," Amiya informs him, "But I'm going to feel better after eating one, why don't you have one too?"

Taking her advice, Samir reaches out and takes a laddoo, and they stand there eating while Hussein stares at them.

"You're right," Samir tells her, "I do feel better." Amiya smiles at him before remembering the seriousness of the situation they're currently in.

"So what exactly is the problem?" Hussein asks worriedly, and they both suddenly turn to face him almost as if they had forgotten he was there.

Amiya and Samir glance at each other as if unsure whether they should be telling him the truth or not.

"Captain Samir is trying to convince me not to kill Captain Kapoor," Amiya finally tells him, "I'm definitely feeling less like doing so since I had that laddoo."

"But why do you want to kill him?" Hussein asks, confused and then suddenly he understands. "Ohhhh," he says and then abruptly stops. "What exactly happened?"

"Even we don't know that," Samir admits reluctantly, glad that there's at least one more sensible person around to try and handle the situation. "Something happened between them and now Asha is barely talking and Dhiraj appears to be having a complete breakdown."

"It's not their fault," Hussein says a bit sadly, and the other two stare at him.

"Why not?" Amiya asks, "Do you know something that we don't?"

"No," Hussein replies quickly, "But sometimes these things aren't in peoples' control, if they're so drawn to each other then maybe it's meant to be."

Amiya and Samir continue to stare at him as if he's gone crazy before exchanging twin looks of disbelief.

"Hussein, that's very romantic, but even you have to admit that they're not acting normally," Amiya tells him, "And right now our main concern is to fix this before news of it spreads all over the base and the situation becomes even worse."

"Well I think that first of all we need to get them to talk to each other," Hussein suggests, "If they can't act normally around each other it really will be a disaster, especially in the current situation."

"I think I need another laddoo." Amiya remarks, imagining trying to get Asha and Dhiraj to try and talk to each other and reaching for the tin again. The sweet in her hand, she suddenly looks towards Hussein. "Why aren't you more surprised?" she suddenly asks him, "Surely you weren't expecting this to happen?"

"No, not at all." Hussein lies, "But whatever happens, happens for a reason."

And he believes that now, more than ever.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

_In the darkest moments, she tries to convince herself that she never really loved him._

_She tries to tell herself that it was just a girlish crush, that with the passing of time, she would've moved past it, forgotten it. _

_Even more than this, she tries to convince herself that he never really loved her, that she had been mistaken, a fool, that all he had ever thought of her as was a protégé, his best friend's sister. _

_In the end, what proof did she really have? He had never spoken the words to her, never made any outright gestures, there was absolutely no hard proof that he had loved her at all. _

_And yet she knew it, knew without a doubt that he had._

_In the darkest moments, Naina wishes that she had not loved him and that he had not loved her._

_But in the end, she can't deny the truth. _

_They had loved one another, they really had, and he was dead because of it._

_Now only she remained, and three years after his death, she could still remember how fast her heart used to beat when he looked at her._

_How much longer could that same heart possibly beat without him?_

Amiya entered the room cautiously, finding Asha in exactly the same position she had left her in.

"Asha, I've brought you something." She tells her softly, and Asha looks up, her face now tear streaked.

"Stop it," Amiya scolds her, "You're not going to cry, I won't allow you to. Instead have one of these and I guarantee you'll feel one hundred times better."

Opening up the handkerchief she was holding, she placed it on the bed, leaving Asha staring at the contents.

"Laddoos?" she asked Amiya in disbelief, wiping her eyes, "Where did you get these?"

"Hussein's Ammi made them, he just arrived back." Amiya informed her, "Now hurry up and eat one, and let's see whether you feel better or not."

Asha can't help but smile at her friend's optimism, and reaching out for a laddoo, took a small bite of it.

"This reminds me of something," she told Amiya thoughtfully as she chewed on the sweet.

"Probably how much you love eating laddoos," Amiya replied cheerfully, "Really you are a strange Bengali, Rasgollah should be your favourite instead."

"But laddoos have always been my favourite," Asha told her, "You know that."

"Of course I know that, why do you think I brought you some now?" Amiya teases her, and Asha's face falls again.

"I don't know how I'm going to face him," she admits, "After…"

"You shouldn't be the one who's nervous, he should be the one to worry about that after what he did." Amiya tells her, growing slightly angry again.

"No it wasn't…" Asha begins to say before taking a deep breath, "It wasn't all his fault, even I… I mean I didn't protest, I… I kissed him back."

Amiya stares at her for a moment, unable to believe what Asha has just admitted, because as well as she knows her friend this is very unexpected.

"Well at least it's not as bad as I was thinking," Amiya finally says, "Otherwise I was ready to go and murder him. But you… I always used to tease you about him, and you never even admitted that you liked him that much!"

"Amiya I don't know what to do," Asha admits, "I was an idiot, I never should've allowed things to go that far, whether I like him or not… I can't allow things like that to happen. Whatever has happened, you know how much I respect Dhi… Captain Kapoor, I can't endanger his career in this way, or mine…"

"Then you have to talk to him as soon as possible." Amiya advised, "And sort things out before they get even worse."

"But how can I?" Asha asks her desperately, "I don't even know how to look him in the eye anymore, let alone…"

"Have another laddoo," Amiya advised, "They're Hussein's Ammi's magic laddoos, they'll give you the courage to do it."

Asha took another one, and began eating nervously as Amiya stood up and moved towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Asha asked her.

"To get this all sorted out," Amiya told her, "I'll be back soon."

Samir had not had much success in getting Dhiraj to talk about what happened, since his friend still seemed to be attempting to pretend that if he didn't step outside his room he wouldn't have to deal with the problem.

Hearing a knock on the door, Samir opened it cautiously, quickly stepping outside and shutting it behind him when he saw Amiya.

"You don't have to be so worried," she informed him, "I'm not going to kill Captain Kapoor anymore, I know now that what happened…"

"Was not just from one side." Samir finished for her.

"Yes… sorry for getting so angry before." Amiya tells him a bit sheepishly, "I wasn't thinking, I was just upset seeing Asha so upset."

"That's alright Amiya, I understand perfectly." Samir tells her, "So how is Asha now?"

"She's doing better, actually speaking now… and she's willing to sit down and talk with him."

"Thank god…" Samir breathed a sigh of relief, "I think that this is definitely the best option, Hussein was right."

"Well then the sooner the better, right?" Amiya asks him, "If you get Captain Kapoor to come to our room a little later, then we can make them sit down and talk."

"Alright, I'll bring him after a couple of hours, hopefully they'll both be a bit calmer by then." Samir said hopefully, "And Amiya…"

"Yes?" she asked him expectantly.

"I'm glad that you're with me in this," Samir told her with a smile, "I have no idea how I would've coped on my own if you weren't here. Dhiraj probably would've driven me crazy by now."

Amiya laughs at this, "No problem at all, Sir." She tells him, "In fact I wanted to tell you the same thing, thank goodness Captain Kapoor has a friend like you or we would be in much more trouble."

Giving him a final smile she goes back to the room, needing to prepare Asha for what's ahead.

"And are you sure you're ready for this?" Samir asks Dhiraj for the tenth time ever since they've left their room.

"Samir…" Dhiraj stops in his tracks, staring at his friend, "Would you stop that? Don't you think this is hard enough already without you doubting whether I can really do it?"

"I'm sorry…" Samir tells him, "It's just… I'm nervous."

"You're nervous?" Dhiraj asks him incredulously, "You're not the one who just… well…" Dhiraj paled, wondering how it was that he was supposed to make this better, to fix things between them. He hadn't planned anything to say, hadn't been able to think of anything to say at all. He just hoped that once he saw her, he would actually be able to control his feelings.

They reach the door and Dhiraj tells himself that first of all he's going to tell her he's sorry, and then… but he sees her sitting there, a strange expression of anticipation on her face and realises that he doesn't know if he can say it because no… he's not really sorry at all.

They continue to stare at each other for a moment, Asha colouring slightly as she remembers what had passed between them earlier. The way that he's staring at her again… her heartbeats begin to quicken, because she hadn't expected him to come to her like this, unrepentant and intense.

Dhiraj suddenly breaks their gaze, turning to face both Samir and Amiya, who are now standing against one wall.

"You can go now." He tells them, "We'll talk by ourselves."

"Are you sure…" Samir starts to ask, but the look Dhiraj gives him quickly shuts him up. Amiya looks for a sign from Asha who nods, telling her that it's alright for her to leave. The two of them walk outside, shutting the door behind them.

"Do you honestly think it's okay for us to leave the two of them together alone?" Amiya whispers to Samir as they head off to find Hussein and report the progress to him.

"It's not in our hands anymore," Samir replies, equally as quietly, "We just have to hope that they're both sensible enough to work things out without…"

He didn't want to finish that sentence.

He really didn't.

As soon as the door shut, Dhiraj shifted his gaze back to Asha, not taking his eyes off her even as he sat down on Amiya's bed opposite her as she sat on her own. He thought it was probably best to keep a bit of space between them, lest he be tempted to cross the lines he had decided to draw for himself.

Asha is watching him carefully, her eyes partially hidden. He senses her nervousness, her embarrassment, and for the first time truly begins to regret what he did. He should never have put her in this position simply because he couldn't control his own emotions.

But she had kissed him back, she had responded, she must….

Dhiraj decides that it's best that he stop thinking about that immediately before he forgets the real reason that he's here.

"I shouldn't have done what I did," he tells Asha quietly, "I'm sorry."

"No…" she tells him just as quietly, "It was also my fault, I didn't tell you to stop, didn't protest…."

"Still, as your superior officer I have more responsibility than you." Dhiraj tells her, "I have no excuses for what I did, none at all. I just…"

He thinks about how he could possibly explain his feelings at the time to her, how to tell her what it is that he feels every time he sees her, the tightening of his chest, the quickening of his breath, the longing…

Asha is still looking at him, waiting for him to continue, and Dhiraj realises that perhaps he doesn't need to explain to her, that maybe she already understands.

"When I see you I feel something that is very difficult to control." He finally has the courage to say. "I see you, and I forget everything that I should remember, everything that I should and shouldn't do."

Asha takes in a sharp breath, her eyes lowering slightly because his gaze on her is painfully sharp, she's not sure whether she can meet his eyes at all.

"It's not your fault that I feel this way," Dhiraj continues, "It's mine, and I'll try to keep it under control in future. Just promise me… that the next time Rajesh comes you'll refuse to see him, otherwise I don't know whether I'll be able to stop myself from attacking him."

Asha has always been independent, strong, and reluctant to take advice from anybody, but when Dhiraj tells her that she will refuse to see Rajesh, she just nods agreeing to do so.

"Dhiraj, I…" she begins to say, but he cuts her off, holding up a hand. Taking slow, deliberate steps, he crosses to her side, before crouching down so that he's eye level with her. Carefully he picks up one of her hands, holding it loosely in his, almost reverently.

Asha waits, barely able to breathe, not sure what it is that he intends. She's surprised to find that she's not nervous at all, merely expectant, as if the outcome of her entire life depends on this next moment.

Finally, picking up her hand, Dhiraj presses it to his cheek, leaning into it. Asha is stunned by the tenderness of the action. Earlier he had been all passion and desire and yet it is this newly revealed softness in him that truly makes her breathless.

He closes his eyes briefly, and Asha curls her fingers slightly, in a half caress. Opening his eyes, he plants a soft kiss on the palm of her hand, before placing it back by her side.

It takes all of Asha's self control not to grab his hand, grab him, tell him how it is that she truly feels. That really, as shocked as she was by her own behaviour, there was never a moment when she felt that what they were doing was actually wrong.

"I will try…" Dhiraj tells her again, "But it's very possible that I might fail, so please for now, just don't tell me anything, because if the answer is…"

He's unable to finish the statement and stands up abruptly, backing away from her so that he's at a safe distance.

Asha nods, and half stands up from the bed as if to reach out to him, comfort him, but shaking his head, Dhiraj heads towards the door and leaves without another word.

Asha wishes that she had the courage to walk after him, to call him back, tell him how she really feels. But she doesn't, she knows that Dhiraj is right, that really right now it's for the best that she doesn't tell him anything. Asha knows what the consequences of a relationship between them would be right now, what would be said about them. They are in a war time situation, they couldn't afford to be distracted by their emotions right now.

But Asha knows, that resisting temptation is never easy.

Hussein was fetching chai for himself, Samir and Amiya when he heard the two soldiers talking, seated at a table near the counter.

"I saw it, he just grabbed her hand in front of everyone and started dragging her away…"

"Yaar, he wasn't dragging her, she went along perfectly willingly."

"I'm telling you… there's something going on between them." The other replied.

Banging his tray down on the table, Hussein shocked both of the men who turned around, suddenly looking very nervous. It was common knowledge on base that Hussein was one of Asha's best friends.

"What were you just saying?" Hussein asked them, "Maybe you'd like to say it to me too."

"Hussein… don't be like that yaar, you have to admit that if they behave like that…"

"Nobody has behaved like anything." Hussein tells them, "And if you know what's good for you, then you'll mind your own business."

"Who are you anyway?" One of the lieutenants asked him, "Her brother? Or is there another reason that you don't want us talking about her and Captain Kapoor?"

This comment is too much for Hussein and he grabs the man's collar, pulling him out of his chair. In the distance, Amiya and Samir stand up from their table, ready to go to his aid if he needs it.

"The next time you ever think about opening your mouth to gossip about one of my friends, then think twice." Hussein tells the man, "I'm warning you for the last time now, mind your own business."

"Lieutenant Hussein, release him!" Hussein looks around to see Aalekh standing there and he and the other man scramble apart, standing to attention. "Come with me right now," Aalekh tells Hussein sternly, and Hussein grabs the tray with the teas on it, handing it to Samir as he walks past him and Amiya.

"What's gotten into you?" Aalekh asks him, as they walk out of the canteen, "What on earth is wrong?" They walk to Aalekh's office where they find Abhimanyu already waiting. "Actually I was coming to get you at the time, anyway." Aalekh told Hussein, "We both wanted to know whether Asha arrived back alright after the suspension and how Pooja and Ali are."

"Ammi sent laddoos with me, she asked me to give some to both of you." Hussein suddenly announces, "I'll just go and get them."

"Hold it right there!" Aalekh tells him sternly, "Exactly what was going on in the canteen right now?"

"Why, what was going on in the canteen?" Abhimanyu asks him.

"Hussein had grabbed one of the other officers by the collar." Aalekh informs Abhimanyu, "Now before anything else, tell me what happened to make you so angry."

Hussein is silent, trying to decide how much he should be telling them.

"He said something about Asha… and Captain Kapoor." He finally admits.

"But why would he be talking about them?" Aalekh asks, "What on earth has happened, she only arrived back on base today."

"Well… Captain Kapoor might have created a bit of a scene when she arrived back." Hussein tells them reluctantly.

"Might have? Or did?" Aalekh asks.

"Did." Hussein replies, hoping that they won't ask him anything else.

"And then?" Abhimanyu asks.

"I don't think I should be talking about this," Hussein says a bit uncomfortably, "I never actually witnessed any of it, I've only heard it second hand."

"Fine," Aalekh tells him, understanding why the young man doesn't want to talk about his friend, "But is it at least under control now?"

"I think so," Hussein replies, "Asha and Captain Kapoor were going to have a talk about it… sort things out."

"This is all my fault," Abhimanyu finally comments, "I should never have told him it was okay to love her, I think it somehow stayed in his subconscious."

They both turn to stare at him.

"Abhimanyu Sir… I think it would've happened eventually anyway." Aalekh tells him. "It was bound to happen, sooner or later, we all knew it."

They had all known it, every single one of them.

It was just that it had taken twenty five years more than any of them had expected.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

_She can hear them whispering outside the door and knows that they're discussing her, deciding who should stay with her. It has only been three days since her parents' death and she is blank, empty… she feels… there is nothing left to feel._

_Finally the door opens and Pooja enters, seeing Naina lying on the side on the bed, Pooja climbs in beside her, wrapping her arms around Naina as if to comfort her. _

_"I don't think I can cry anymore…" Naina tells her, "I've cried so much that nothing is left… first… and now,"_

_"You have to continue being strong, Naina." Pooja tells her, "You know that Rajveer Sir would've wanted you to be… and you've always been the one to hold us all together."_

_"How much stronger will I have to be?" Naina asks her desperately, "And Rajveer Sir… the moment he died I lost my strength."_

_"Even I still miss him so much," Pooja admits, "If Ali and I ever have a son, we'll name him after Rajveer Sir." _

_"Then make sure that he follows his example… that he lives up to his principles." Naina tells her, "And try… try to make sure that he at least lives happily."_

_"But you'll be there to ensure these things too," Pooja tells her, "You'll be his favourite aunt."_

_But Naina doesn't reply, because now she's not so sure anymore whether she will live long enough to see the faces of Pooja's children. _

_She will just have to hope… that the future is happier for them than it was for her._

_That history never repeats itself._

Dhiraj tries to stay away from her, he really does.

He battles with himself and his decision every moment. There are times when he thinks he might succeed, that he really can control his emotions but then she will be there in front of him, with those knowing eyes, and the emotion he sees in them…

And he is lost all over again.

He looks for excuses to be near her, to touch her. He never does anything too obvious or noticeable, on a patrol he will offer her his hand to help her over a difficult patch and she will take it, her fingers warm in his. At these moments it is a struggle not to tighten his grip, not to keep holding on. But he will release her hand, happy at least to have that one moment.

He will take whatever he can get.

He has noticed that she has also begun to approach him more often, to look for opportunities to spend time with him. Dhiraj suspects, he hopes, that she feels the same yearning and craving that he does.

He supposes, that if he had been more patient, this is how things would have worked out anyway, that they would've become closer slowly over a period of time. Instead he had rushed things, taking it too fast in a relationship to which they are still unable to give a name.

So as he sits with Samir in the canteen, discussing the reports from the recent patrols, he watches her walk in with Amiya and Hussein, his eyes following her across the room. Samir notices the far away look and sighs, temporarily abandoning the conversation since he knows that he's unlikely to get a sensible response out of Dhiraj to any of the issues while his eyes are on Asha Dutt. Dhiraj watches as a short conversation happens between the three Lieutenants, all of them glancing in his and Samir's direction. A moment later he's surprised when they all head in the direction of the table, Asha and Amiya holding an extra cup of coffee each.

His gaze stays fixed on her as she approaches, his breathing shallow, and before he knows it, she is beside him, placing her own cup on the table before handing him his. He reaches out to take it from her, allowing himself to touch her fingers briefly in an almost caress, still with his eyes fixed upon her face.

Amiya puts a cup in front of Samir before sitting down herself next to him, and Hussein takes a seat beside Amiya, both of them pretending not to notice what has just transpired between Asha and Dhiraj.

"Thanks Amiya," Samir tells her gratefully, "I'm in need of a cup of coffee after going over all these reports, how did you know the way I like to drink it?"

"I didn't," Amiya tells him with a shrug, "I had it made the way I drink it instead. That way if you don't like it, I can have two cups." Then she grins at him, and Samir and Hussein both struggle not to laugh.

Samir takes a sip of his coffee and then smiles, "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'll be keeping this cup, it tastes perfectly fine."

Dhiraj sips his own cup of coffee and finds it perfect, wondering why he's not surprised that she would know how likes it.

Asha is looking at her cup, rather than at him, and he wishes that she would look up, fix her eyes upon his face even for a moment. It's difficult to stop himself from reaching out to tilt her chin with his finger, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"So what reports have you been going over, Sirs?" Hussein asks them, "That's if you're allowed to tell us of course."

"The recent patrol reports… we've been looking for a pattern." Samir tells them, "Dhiraj and I are definitely worried, from what we can tell it looks as if right now they're only testing our defenses, looking for weaknesses. I think we can expect more and larger attacks in the days to come."

"That's right," Dhiraj agrees, still not taking his eyes off Asha, "We've only just seen the beginning of this conflict, and considering that attempts at diplomacy have failed so far, I think it's now inevitable that we can expect the hostilities to move to another level."

"When they do, we're ready to face them, Sir." Asha replies for all of them confidently, finally raising her eyes to meet Dhiraj's, "We're soldiers of India, we won't back down from any challenge."

"That's good Asha, because this enemy is definitely going to be one of the most difficult our country has ever faced." Samir tells her, "When we were at war with Pakistan, their military capabilities were never as great as ours, but China… in terms of technology they're ahead of us in some respects."

"Technology or not… we'll all defend our country to our last breath." Amiya tells him, "And there's no way we're going to allow Tawang to be taken."

They all smile at her enthusiasm, Amiya may be shorter than the rest of them, but she makes up for it with so much spirit that anybody underestimating her would be a fool.

"Hussein, I don't suppose your Ammi is planning on sending you any more sweets is she?" Amiya suddenly asks wistfully, "Couldn't you ask her to?"

Hussein laughs at this, "Amiya, my Ammi is a Major in the Indian Army, she has better things to do than sit around making laddoos for you to eat all day."

Amiya makes a face at him and goes back to drinking her coffee, leaving Samir to shake his head in amazement, wondering how she can switch topics and moods so easily.

"So what have you all got planned for today?" Samir asks them, "Today's your day off, right?"

"Well Asha has already refused to come to the gate to see a certain visitor three times," Amiya remarks cheerfully, "Hussein has been writing love letters to his girlfriend again, and I've been trying to convince them both that we should go somewhere off base this afternoon."

From the first statement, Dhiraj's attention is once again distracted, and he looks earnestly down at Asha, willing her to look up. When she does, he locks eyes with her, hoping to express exactly how relieved he is that she had taken his request seriously. He has never been the jealous or possessive type, but with her he just can't help himself, the very idea of anyone else near her, touching her, drives him absolutely crazy.

Dhiraj thinks it's lucky that for some reason he doesn't have any problem with Hussein, otherwise he would constantly be making an idiot of himself.

"So you have a girlfriend, Hussein?" Samir asks him, "What's her name?"

Amiya smirks, knowing that Hussein won't be able to refuse to tell a superior officer.

"Her name is Naina, Sir." Hussein answers after some hesitation. On hearing this, Amiya grins, while Dhiraj and Asha both turn suddenly to stare at him. That name…

"See, that wasn't so difficult was it, Hussein?" Amiya teases him, "You could have told us months ago, and now you can tell us whether her eyes really are as beautiful as the name suggests."

She nudges him playfully, grinning even more as Hussein blushes.

"Yes…" Asha remarks quietly, almost as if in a daze "It is an appropriate name for yours…"

Hussein looks towards her sharply, and then at Dhiraj who has a similar dazed look on his face, and he wonders whether finally, something has begun to register within them.

"Captain Dhiraj, Captain Samir, your presence is requested for an urgent meeting." An orderly tells them, and Dhiraj and Samir both look up sharply, nodding and gathering their reports. Dhiraj drains his cup of coffee, and impulsively lays a hand briefly on Asha's shoulder before leaving.

Hussein, Amiya and Samir all pretend not to notice.

As soon as he had received the news, Aalekh was one of the first officers that Abhimanyu called into his office.

"They've been spotted by one of our patrol teams," he tells Aalekh, "It's a larger force than ever before, at least twenty five. Probably intent upon setting themselves up to wage guerilla warfare against us. They crossed the border around an hour ago and are now headed roughly in a south-westerly direction. We don't know where they're headed or what they intend, but we need to cut them off as soon as possible."

"I'll ready a force of our best officers immediately, Sir." Aalekh tells him, understanding the urgency of the situation. They can't allow their defenses to be breached in this way. "We can have them ready to go within one hour, less if we spend less time on preparations."

"No, carry our all preparations properly, ensure that the teams are chosen well and we have a clear strategy beforehand. I don't want any casualties from our side."

They lock eyes, both of them knowing exactly what is at stake, because there is no doubt at all that Asha, Dhiraj and Hussein will all be members of the teams that are sent.

"There will be nothing lacking in the preparations," Aalekh answers in a determined tone, "I'll see to it myself."

No matter what, he won't lose them again.

Sixty soldiers have been chosen, divided into five teams of twelve. Asha feels a combination of nervousness and excitement at the thought of the upcoming battle. This is what they trained for, joined the army for, and now finally she will have an opportunity to prove herself. She listens intently to the details of the upcoming mission, what the terrain will be like, the expected strength of the force. Glancing at Amiya as she sits next to her, she sees her friend concentrating equally as hard.

The briefing ends, and they move to the marshalling area, picking up their packs and weapons, helping each other. Asha and Hussein are part of the same team, under Major Chandra's command, while Amiya is a member of Dhiraj and Samir's team. Asha is at least relieved about this, she knows that no matter what, neither of them will allow anything to happen to their soldiers if they can help it.

Asha and Hussein both hug Amiya quickly before she leaves, wishing her luck.

"I'm more worried about both of you," Amiya tries to joke with them, "At least I'm with the two best officers on base."

"Thanks for the compliment Lieutenant Chatterjee," Samir tells her solemnly, "But remember that you should never be overconfident in these situations."

"Of course not, Sir." She replies seriously and they prepare to move out.

Dhiraj gives one long last look to Asha, clearly reluctant to entrust her safety to any other officer. But he trusts her, he knows what a good soldier she is, and he can't allow himself to be distracted from his own task.

"Look after yourself," he tells her quietly, and Asha nods.

"You too, Sir." She tells him, and Dhiraj finally walks away to join his team.

"Ready?" Hussein asks Asha, patting her on the shoulder.

"Always." Asha replies.

They have approached the invading force silently through the thick forest from different directions, aiming to surround them. Asha and Husssein's team's job is to cut off any chances of escape, and they are the last to move into place.

Once all teams are within position, they wait for the signal, tense and on edge. Asha is at a distance of five metres from Hussein and he watches her, wanting to ensure that she's fine. No matter what, he will protect her.

As the enemy force continues to advance, they suddenly hear Major Ramachandran's warning, that they should immediately throw down their weapons and surrender, as they are now surrounded.

Asha is not surprised when none of them do.

Instead they begin firing in Major Ramachandran's direction, and Asha hears the order for them all to engage in the fight, raising her gun she aims for the nearest soldier, dispatching him with ease.

The enemy force attempts to retreat to cover, now looking around for the source of the shots, attempting to find their enemy hidden in the thick jungle.

She has no idea how long the battle continues, keeping her attention on finishing the enemy. She can not see the rest of her own forces, she has no idea whether anybody has been injured or killed.

It is when the battle is almost won, when only four of them remain, that Asha hears a cry to her right, and sees her old batchmate Akash on the ground, clutching his shoulder, and now exposed to the enemy's attention. Dashing forward, Asha attempts to drag him to safety, knowing that otherwise he will be picked off by the remaining soldiers.

She is so intent on her task that she doesn't notice the attention of one of the enemy soldiers now focused on her, raising his gun. He aims, intending to finish her off while she's distracted.

But Hussein has noticed.

"Asha, get down!" he screams at her, and she falls flat to the ground, not a moment too soon as a bullet whizzes past where her head had been a moment ago. She raises her own weapon, aiming for the man, but his attention has now shifted, his rifle aimed in another direction.

She squeezes the trigger, but it's too late, the bullet has already left her opponent's gun, headed towards its intended target.

And as it hits Hussein in the chest, he falls to the ground.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

_"Do you think that we only fell in love because of our names?" she asks him one day as they sit by the lake at the academy, their hands entwined. "Do you think that after hearing the stories for so many years, we just couldn't imagine ourselves with anyone else?"_

_"No," he tells her seriously, "Whatever else your name might be, I still would've loved you, I'm sure of that."_

_"Hussein, sometimes I get scared." She admits, "What if, just like with them, something happens one day, what if…"_

_"Naina, these names are not cursed." Hussein tells her, "And we'll be the ones to prove it. In this lifetime at least, Naina and Rajveer should live happily ever after."_

_She had nodded, laying her head on his shoulder as they had sat there holding hands. _

_And he had honestly believed that it could be true._

"Damn it, Hussein, do not close your eyes! Do you hear me, don't you dare close your eyes!" Asha screamed at him as she slapped his face to keep him awake, his eyes already half closing. "We're going to get you back to the base and you're going to be fine…. Nothing is going to happen to you, nothing!"

Amiya is sobbing, trying to apply pressure to his wound as Dhiraj drives the vehicle as fast as possible, whipping around corners. "How much longer, Sir?" she asks him, desperately.

"Just ten more minutes, just keep him awake, get him to hold on!" Dhiraj yells back, there is a medical team already waiting, all they need is to get him back in time…

Hussein is struggling to say something and Asha tries to make him rest but he's determined.

"Naina…" he finally says, "Tell Naina I love her, and tell her she has to be strong… at least she shouldn't let history repeat itself."

"We're not going to tell her," Amiya replies stubbornly, "If you die then I'm going to tell her that you were having affairs with at least five other girls on this base, so don't even think about it!"

Hussein wants to laugh but it hurts so much… the hole in his chest…

"Just ten minutes more, do you hear me Hussein?" Asha asks him, "Don't die… don't… I'll never forgive myself, do you think that we can do without you? Do you? Why the hell did you do this?"

"You won't understand," he tells her, his eyes closing again, "But Naina will…"

This time he doesn't reopen them, and Asha frantically searches for a pulse, finding one and realising that he's just passed out.

He can't die…

He can't….

Because if he does…

Naina…

Amiya is still screaming at Hussein as they bring him into the base, trying to get him to open his eyes, and as the medical staff take him away she begins sobbing, clinging to Asha.

Asha can't stop her own tears either. This is their first experience of what war is like, and to have one of their best friends wounded in this way, to possibly….

Dhiraj leans against the wall tiredly, passing a hand over his face and back through his hair as Samir places a hand on his friend's shoulder, his face also lined with worry. Noticing that Asha appears to still be in shock, Samir makes a sign to his friend and then steps forward to take Amiya's arm gently, supporting her and taking her to a seat. When she clings to him instead, crying onto his shoulder, he sits awkwardly for a moment before beginning to pat her back comfortingly.

Dhiraj similarly makes Asha sit, standing by her side as she places her head in her hands, he puts one hand on her shoulder and Asha reaches up to grasp it.

"Nothing can happen to Hussein," she tells him as she looks up, "It can't…"

Dhiraj nods, blinking away his own tears, because he's always liked the young man, felt a strange kind of kinship with him that he is unable to explain.

He is about to reply when Colonel Sharma and Brigadier Chauhan run in, both with panicked expressions on their faces.

"Hussein?" Aalekh asks desperately, waiting for somebody to tell him something.

"They just took him in to the operating theatre, Sir." Dhiraj tells Aalekh, "We don't know anything yet, but Hussein is strong, he'll…"

"He's exactly like his parents," Aalekh says as if trying to reassure himself, "Nothing will happen to him…"

"He was trying to save me," Asha announces, her guilt forcing her to speak up. "I would've died, and he distracted the soldier and…"

Aalekh's expression changes, and a look of understanding comes on his face.

"Hussein has always taken his duty very seriously…" he says quietly, as if to himself, "He's always taken his name very seriously…" Aalekh looks at Abhimanyu, as if seeking reassurance, comfort, and then sighs. "I'll have to go and call Ali and Pooja."

"Sir…" Amiya finally looks up, her face tear streaked, "Hussein has a girlfriend, I don't know how you can find out her details, all I know is that her name is Naina…"

Abhimanyu's expression changes at this, and he looks at Aalekh as if to check something. Aalekh just nods as if in confirmation, a deeper pain appearing on his face. "I'll go and call her now as well." He says quietly, before walking away to make his calls.

"Thank god he knows her…" Amiya remarks, "I would hate for her not to find out that…"

"Oh he knows her," Abhimanyu remarks dryly, the sorrow evident on his face, "Naina is his daughter."

They wait outside for hours, everybody refusing to leave. At some point Amiya falls asleep on Samir's shoulder as he shoots worried looks at their commanding officers before finally relaxing when he realizes that they don't care, his eyes drifting closed.

Unable to stand the tension and her own guilt, Asha gets up, wandering just outside the hospital wing to stare up at the night sky.

When she feels a hand on her shoulder she immediately knows who it is, and turns to face him, unable to hide the tears in her eyes.

It only takes Dhiraj a second to make up his mind, and he wraps his arms around her, hugging her tightly. There is nothing of desire or passion in this hug, it is a simple gesture of friendship and comfort. Asha accepts his embrace gratefully, hugging him back, resting her head on his chest.

"Hussein will be fine," Dhiraj murmurs into her hair, "I can feel it… nothing will happen to him."

"I hope you're right," Asha whispers back, her mouth somewhere around the region of his collarbone. "I hope you're right…"

Neither of them knows exactly how long they stand there, but eventually he releases her. Standing slightly apart Dhiraj looks down at her face, and then raising a hand, smoothes her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. Putting his hands to either side of her face, he briefly leans down to touch his forehead to hers, before he releases her, walking back inside.

Asha feels as if some of her strength and hope have finally returned, and after waiting for a few moments she follows him back inside.

As she walks back into the corridor where they're all waiting, she sees Colonel Sharma hanging up his phone, obviously having just finished a phone call.

"That was Neelu," he informs Abhimanyu, "The academy just called to tell her that Naina has run away, apparently with the help of Roshni and the rest of her friends."

"Well what are cousins for anyway?" Abhimanyu comments dryly, "I don't think that there could be any doubt that Naina has taken after you."

"I think you're forgetting that Neelu used to be quite good at running away from home as well," Aalekh tells him, "And then she might have taken after her namesake as well…"

He suddenly becomes serious at this again, and Abhimanyu crosses over to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe I should've named her something else," he whispers, "Maybe…"

"Don't be ridiculous Aalekh, this hasn't happened because of what you and Ali and Pooja named your children." Abhi tells him, "And you'll see, Hussein will be fine."

"I just hope that by the time Naina arrives we have some good news to tell her." Aalekh says worriedly, "I don't know how she'll cope if he hasn't recovered…"

Waking up finally from her doze, Amiya stands up unsteadily, looking exhausted. Asha goes forward to help her even as Samir stands as well, gripping her arm to steady her.

"I'm just going to go and clean myself up, and then I'll go and pray." She announces, "At least it's something that I can do."

"I'll join you." Samir says quietly, still holding her arm to help her as they walk out.

Asha and Dhiraj both sit back down, prepared for a long wait.

Five hours later dawn is starting to break, Hussein's operation has been declared successful and he has been transferred to the ICU but not yet awoken.

Asha and Amiya both keep drifting off to sleep, barely able to keep their eyes open. Asha has just opened hers again when she sees a soldier approach Colonel Sharma and tell him something quietly, only for him to nod, replying in an undertone.

"Sir, is there some news?" Asha asks him worriedly, straightening up in her chair.

"Not about Hussein, no." Aalekh tells her, "But…"

His sentence is interrupted by the arrival of a young woman escorted by several guards. As soon as she sees him she runs to him, throwing her arms around him and bursting into tears as Aalekh kisses her hair and hugs her.

"Dad, is there any news?" she asks him desperately, "Hussein… is he alright? Is he…"

"His operation was successful and he's currently in the ICU," Aalekh tells her, "He should hopefully wake up within a couple of hours, we're all hoping…"

She nods, wiping her tears, attempting to be brave and then suddenly seems to realise where she is. "Ah, dad, you're not angry are you?" she asks him, "I know I shouldn't have run away, but…"

"I'm not angry, Naina." Aalekh tells her kindly, "I would've done the same thing, your mother would've too. Just don't tell that to any of your teachers…"

She gives him a small smile at this, before her face falls again. It is then that Naina Sharma turns around to see the rest of the people waiting in the hallway. She tries to hide the look of recognition on her face at the sight of two of them, before stepping forward slightly.

"Hi Uncle Abhimanyu," she tells him, and he gives her a brief hug.

Aalekh watches her, wondering why she hasn't shown any surprise or shock on seeing Asha and Dhiraj there. It is a few moments later that he realises the truth, Hussein must have told her.

"Hi," Amiya says, standing up a bit uncertainly, "We're Hussein's friends, I'm…"

"You must be Amiya," Naina tells her, "And that will be Asha, and you two must be Captains Dhiraj and Samir." She nods slightly at them, "Hussein has told me about all of you, he writes so many letters that…" she looks like she might be about to cry again and impulsively Amiya crosses over to hug her.

"We always teased Hussein about his love letters," she admits, "He wouldn't tell us your name, we only found out the other day, but he loves you so much."

"It's all my fault," Asha tells her, coming over to stand in front of her, "He got shot saving me, and now…"

Naina reaches out and takes one of Asha's hands, squeezing it, "I know my Hussein." She tells her, "And I know… that he did the right thing." Unable to let the opportunity go past she hugs Asha, hugs her tightly. Because in the end, everything in Naina's life has been because of her, from the beginning, right up until now.

Then Naina turns to her father once again. "Dad, can I see him?" she asks, "Can I sit with him?"

Aalekh nods, "I'll check with the doctors, but it should be fine. Do you want me to stay with you?"

"It's okay…" Naina tells him, "I know that you'll have a lot of work to do after this, you should all go and get some rest, I'm here now."

Aalekh smiles at her affectionately, finding it funny that his own daughter is telling him to go and get some rest. But then, she's always been like that.

"Alright, everybody go and get a few hours sleep." Aalekh orders them, and then turns to Naina again, "Go and sit with him for awhile… I'll be back with you soon."

Asha and Amiya only manage to sleep for about three hours before they both wake up.

"I think we should go and check on her," Amiya suggests, "She can't be having an easy time right now, she could definitely use some support."

Asha nods and they head back towards the medical wing, gaining permission before they enter the ICU where they see Naina still sitting there, one of Hussein's hands in hers.

"Has there been any change?" Asha asks her quietly, and Naina shakes her head.

"I think he's sleeping," she tells them, "He's heavily medicated… they say it's not a coma, that he just needs rest." She reaches out to brush his hair back tenderly.

"Before he passed out, he told us to tell you something." Amiya tells her, suddenly remembering. "He said that he loved you and that you should be strong, that you at least shouldn't let history repeat itself."

Amiya has been wondering about that line ever since he said it, and since then the comments that Colonel Sharma and Brigadier Chauhan had made about names….

Naina brushes a tear away angrily at this. "How could you even think of breaking your promise, Hussein?" she addresses him, "Well I hope you're listening, if you die then I am damn well going to let history repeat itself. In fact I'll even break her record, I swear I won't last a day more than three years without you."

She begins to cry again, and Asha and Amiya both go to move forward to her when Hussein finally stirs, perhaps woken by her loud voice.

"Hey pagli," he tells her, "Where do you think I'll go without you? I still remember the promises that I made."

They all stare at him for a moment in surprise before Naina moves, showering his face with kisses before hugging him, careful not to touch his wound.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" she tells him, "Do you have any idea what I went through when I found out, what I feared…"

"I promise I'll try to never to do it again, it's certainly not a pleasant experience." He tells her, trying to joke to cheer her up. "But how did you get here?"

"How do you think?" Naina asks him, now a bit more cheerful, "Roshni and the gang helped me escape then I managed to find some transport here."

"You do realise don't you, that by now my parents must be on their way?" Hussein asks her, still slightly groggy from all the medication.

Naina pales a bit at this, "Maybe I should ask dad to send me back to the academy." She suggests.

"No," Hussein tells her, "I know we were waiting, but I think that now it's time."

"So you haven't told your parents about Naina yet?" Amiya asks him, and Hussein looks in their direction, realising for the first time that there's someone else in the room. "But Colonel Sharma seemed to know about you two."

"Oh Dad always knows everything," Naina replies, "I never had to tell him, he just knew."

Asha and Amiya both pull chairs up to the other side of Hussein's bed.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Asha tells him, "If something had happened to you…"

"Then it wouldn't have been your fault." Hussein replies, "I made my own decision to do what I did. You weren't responsible for it."

"But why did you do it?" Asha asks him, "Why put yourself in danger in that way?"

A look of understanding passes between Hussein and Naina before he answers Asha.

"Because that's what friendship is." He tells her, "Just as you went to save Akash not thinking about your own safety, similarly I tried to save you."

"At least everything has worked out…" Amiya says thankfully, "It looks like our prayers were answered."

"Believe me," Naina tells them, "Fate shall never make such a mistake again, it has learnt its lesson."

"Now that's something I've been wanting to ask you both," Amiya tells them, "What is it about your names? You keep talking about history repeating itself and I've never been able to work it out."

"Hussein never would've told you who it was that we're named after, would he?" Naina asks them both. Asha and Amiya both shake their heads and Naina is just about to speak when the door to the ICU opens and an older couple enters, followed by Colonel Sharma and Brigadier Chauhan.

Amiya guesses immediately that they must be Hussein's parents and is already standing, she tugs on Asha's hand in order to get her to stand up too, but Asha is staring at both of them with the expression of somebody who has found what was lost after a very long time.

"Oh Hussein, how could this happen?" Pooja asks him, rushing to his side immediately, and not having noticed anybody else yet, "Thank goodness you're alright, I haven't been able to breathe properly since I heard the news, oh my son, my brave son…"

"I'm fine, Ammi, really." Hussein tells her reassuringly, and Pooja finally looks at the other people standing by the bed and freezes, staring, because, because…

No.

She's imagining things.

It's the shock of almost losing her son that has brought a ghost in front of her eyes.

"Naina, what are you doing here?" Ali asks, and she turns to stare at him, wondering how he can be asking so calmly when it's Naina…her best friend Naina… Naina who has been dead for twenty one years.

Then turning to the other side, Pooja sees Naina Sharma standing there nervously and realises that Ali hasn't actually seen their Naina yet, from where she's hidden behind the other girl.

"Oh… oh you meant…" she starts to say, but on top of the worry and panic and exhaustion of the day it's all too much for her.

And Pooja faints.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_She had seen them talking together, smiles on both their faces, a trace of shyness, a trace of hesitation, and she had struggled to hide a smile of her own._

_Now as Naina walked into the room, happiness clearly written on her face, Pooja couldn't help but give her a knowing smile._

_"What?" Naina had asked self consciously, and Pooja was sure that she could see the faint traces of a blush._

_"Theek hai, maat batao." She had replied, still smiling, "I've received the sms loud and clear by the smile on your face."_

_Naina had shaken her head slightly as if trying to tell Pooja she was wrong, "Aisi koi baat nahi…" she had said, blushing even more. _

_Pooja had been content to let Naina keep pretending that they both didn't know, and had tapped her friend's head lightly as they smiled at each other._

_She had prayed at that moment, that they should always be this happy, that they should never be separated._

_How was she to know that only the second part of her prayers would be answered…_

Pooja woke up with a start to find Ali sitting by her side, holding her hand while Aalekh and Abhimanyu stood behind him with looks of concern on their faces.

"Ali… I had a dream." She tells him, "That Naina was back, our Naina… That she was here."

She knows that she's babbling slightly but the dream had felt so real that she had thought…

"Pooja, that wasn't a dream." Ali tells her, his eyes speaking volumes of both pain and hope. "Naina really is…"

It had all happened so fast, as soon as Pooja had fainted, Ali had dashed forward to catch her, managing to do so before she hit the floor. It was then that he had looked up and saw her eyes. Those same eyes…

It took only that for him to know without any doubt.

He wanted to speak… to confirm… to hear her voice…

But then Aalekh had stepped forward, a worried look on his face, telling Ali that they needed to take Pooja somewhere to rest and had rushed them both out the door as quickly as possible.

Now that Pooja is awake, Aalekh begins telling them the whole story, from the moment he set eyes on Dhiraj to when Hussein was wounded. It takes more than an hour, and when he is done, they all sit silently for a moment.

"Alhamdulillah…. Such a miracle…" Ali whispers still stunned.

"Wahe Guru…" Pooja adds, as hot tears slip down her cheeks. "All this time… and you never told us, Qaidi, you never told us. You too, Abhimanyu Sir… How could you have kept something like this a secret? Our Naina… our Rajveer Sir… who we thought had gone out of range forever…"

"How could I have told you, Punjaben?" Aalekh asks desperately, slipping back easily into old nicknames and patterns of speech, "Do you think I didn't want to… that this hasn't been hard on me? I honestly wanted to, but what could I have said, how could I have explained? I thought that for now at least it was for the best, until…"

"Until what?" Pooja asks, "I want to go and see her, I want to see both of them, I want to see them both right now." She repeats stubbornly.

"Pooja you can't let her know," Aalekh tries to advise her, "You can't give her any clues or suggest anything. She doesn't know who she is and perhaps it's best if she doesn't find out just yet."

Pooja looks like she wants to protests but sighs and gives in. "How can I argue… when after all these years we finally have them back?" she asks, "Take me back to Hussein, I promise I won't reveal anything."

They help her to stand up from the bed and with Ali supporting her arm, they make their way back to Hussein's room. As soon as she sees him, Pooja embraces him tightly, before kissing his forehead.

"I'm so proud of you." She tells him, and he nods, understanding exactly what she means.

Ali comes forward too, hugging his son as tightly as Pooja had. "For a moment I thought that I had lost my life…" he tells Hussein, "Never scare us like this again."

"Ammi, Abu, I'll introduce you to my friends." Hussein tells them meaningfully, "This is Amiya, and this is Asha."

As soon as he says Asha's name, Pooja bites her lip, struggling not to cry, but she smiles at the two girls instead.

"We've heard so much about you both from Hussein," Asha tells them, "When he told us your love story, I don't know why, I became so emotional I almost started crying. It was as if I was living it myself."

Asha has no idea the effect her words have on both Ali and Pooja, Ali clutches his wife's hand tightly, knowing that she'll need support right now.

To have her best friend in front of her and yet not be recognized by her…

"Hussein has become our best friend in such a short time," Amiya tells them brightly, "You have such a wonderful son, he looks after both of us just as if he was our brother."

"Actually, Hussein was injured saving my life," Asha interrupts, "If it wasn't for him…"

"But you're alive… and well…" Pooja tells her emotionally, "And Hussein is fine too…"

"It is all Allah's will," Ali says quietly, "Whatever is meant to happen, will be so. Hussein was meant to save you."

We wonders, whether after all there is a plan, whether everybody has a destiny to carry out, and if Hussein has just fulfilled part of his.

It is then that the door opens, and Dhiraj and Samir walk in.

Pooja once again feels faint and it is only Ali's tight grip on her hand that stops her from losing consciousness.

"And so… our other missed call has arrived." She whispers, almost to herself, knowing that the only one who will hear her is Ali.

She watches as Dhiraj's gaze immediately settles on Asha, staying there for a moment before he turns to Hussein. She watches as Asha glances at him from the corner of her eye, pretending not to.

It is all so familiar, so very familiar.

"It's a relief to see you awake," Dhiraj tells Hussein, "How are you feeling?"

"Well I'm on so much pain medication at the moment that I'm not feeling much of anything, Sir." Hussein jokes with him and Dhiraj smiles back. Hussein looks at his parents standing there, their white faces, and gestures in their direction.

"Sirs, these are my parents, Colonel Ali Baig and Major Pooja Baig. Ammi, Abu, this is Captain Dhiraj Kapoor and Captain Samir Hassan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir, Ma'am." Dhiraj tells them politely, "It's easy to tell where Hussein has gotten his principles from."

Ali wishes that he could tell the truth, that if Hussein has any principles at all, that if he and Pooja have any principles, then it was all because of Captain Rajveer. That it was he who taught them that to be a good soldier you had to be a good person first. He wants to tell the man in front of him that he should not be calling them 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' but 'Cadet Baig' and 'Cadet Ghai'. He wants to tell him so many things and knows that it's not possible to say any of them.

Instead all Ali can say is "Thank you", as he struggles not to keep on staring at the man who was once their mentor and the girl who was once their friend.

"Hussein, we'll leave you alone with your parents for awhile." Asha finally says, as the silence stretches on. She and Amiya stand, and she turns towards Ali and Pooja and smiles. "It was wonderful to finally meet you," she tells them, "Even before now I felt as if I already knew you… Hussein talks about you so much."

"Oh and Major Baig, I forgot to tell you!" Amiya says suddenly as they're leaving, "Thank you very much for sending the sweets back with Hussein when we were suspended. They're some of the best I ever tasted, and Asha loved them too!"

Pooja just nods, because she can't speak, not right now. Because Naina… Naina had always loved laddoos, and when she had sent them, she hadn't realised that she would be feeding her friend once more.

"We'll take your leave now too," Dhiraj announces, "We just came to check on Hussein, so make sure that you rest Lieutenant Baig because we need you to recover as soon as possible."

Hussein smiles at both Dhiraj and Samir, and it is only after they have left and the door is closed that Pooja allows herself to break down in tears.

"Oh Hussein," she tells her son, "You didn't tell us anything when you were at home… that the one you actually went to rescue was Captain Rajveer, that you went with Naina…"

"I wanted to Ammi, I really did." Hussein tells her, "But Uncle Aalekh asked me not to and I agreed with him… it's something that can't be explained, that you wouldn't believe unless you saw it for yourself."

Pooja and Ali both nod, agreeing with him and thankful that they've managed to raise such a sensible son.

Hussein then worriedly turns towards Aalekh, "Uncle Aalekh, who else did you tell about me being wounded? You haven't informed HJ have you?"

"Actually I did tell his father, so it's possible that he knows by now." Aalekh replies, "Why? I would've thought you would want him to know."

"He's taking part in the joint training exercises at Multan right now," Hussein replies, "I don't want him to be distracted from his training at such an important time."

"Don't worry, It will be considerably harder for HJ to run away from a training camp in Multan than it is to run away from KMA." Abhimanyu points out humourously. "And besides, he's probably finding Punjabi girls across the border just as charming as those here."

They all laugh at this, and Hussein smiles, thinking of his best friend's incorrigible flirting style.

It is then that Ali realises the first question he had asked after arriving still hasn't been answered yet.

"Aalekh, what is Naina doing here?" he asks suddenly, "Did she really run away from the academy?"

Hussein and Naina suddenly both look incredibly embarrassed, colour coming to Naina's cheeks as she tries to avoid both Ali and Pooja's eyes.

Aalekh just sighs, shaking his head slightly. "Osool, you're still as hopeless as you always were." He informs Ali, looking towards Pooja for support.

Pooja suddenly understands, wondering how she could've missed this fact for so long. Her son has always been quiet, never indicating that he was interested in any girls to them before now.

"Ah," she says, and then nudges Ali. He still appears to be completely clueless. Finally she nudges him again, whispering to him. "Actually I think that their networks have made a connection." She says quietly, slipping easily back into her old mobile language now that she's surrounded by so many old friends.

Ali looks from his son, to Naina, and back again, a slight expression of disbelief on his face.

"Hussein, how could you do this?" he finally asks him, "You never told us… I'm sure that you've never gone to Aalekh to ask for his permission." He then turns to Aalekh, looking quite embarrassed, "Aalekhbhai, I'm very sorry about this, really Hussein should've asked for your permission."

Aalekh just stares at him in disbelief, "Osool… your son almost died in battle, you've found out that Naina and Rajveer Sir have come back from the dead… and you're apologising to me for your son secretly dating my daughter?"

Ali realises that when Aalekh says it like that, it does sound a bit ridiculous.

"I'm happy," Aalekh continues, "That Naina and Hussein have chosen each other. I couldn't have found anyone better for her." He places his hand on Hussein's head in a symbol of blessing.

"Abu, Ammi, I'm very sorry." Hussein tells them, still very embarrassed, "When we were at the academy together… actually we had decided that we would tell you all once Naina had graduated and I had managed to prove myself."

"Why are you sorry, Beta?" Pooja asks him lovingly, "I'm glad you've saved us the trouble of finding you a girl, and you've chosen such a beautiful, sweet daughter-in-law for us." She beams at Naina, and after Aalekh gives his daughter a slight push forward she goes to touch Ali and Pooja's feet, both of them giving her their blessings before hugging her.

"And so we're going to be relatives eventually, Osool." Aalekh tells him with a grin, happy that it's finally out in the open.

"We've always been family, Aalekhbhai." Ali tells him emotionally, and they hug each other, tears coming to Pooja's eyes while she watches them.

"How long are you both able to stay for?" Abhimanyu asks them, "We'll get one of the guest quarters ready."

"I'm afraid that we'll have to leave by tomorrow now that we know Hussein is going to be fine." Ali announces regretfully, "The situation is quite tense at the moment as you know, we're not able to take any more time off."

"Then when you return tomorrow you can take Naina with you." Aalekh informs them, "And Naina, whatever punishment they give you at the academy for this, you're not to complain."

"No dad," she says quietly, "I'm ready to face any punishment."

Because no matter what the punishment is, it has all been worth it.

Pooja and Ali sit with Aalekh and Abhimanyu at dinner, while Naina goes to join Asha and Amiya.

Pooja can't help but keep glancing towards the table, drinking up the sight of her best friend; alive, happy and laughing with the two other girls. She feels guilty when she suffers from a pang of jealousy, that she's been replaced as her Naina's best friend, that she can no longer laugh with her, joke with her, share her worries with her.

But no matter what her name is now, no matter who her friends are, she's alive.

This has to be enough for both Ali and Pooja.

It must be.

Naina enjoys chatting with both Asha and Amiya, laughing with them as they exchange stories about Hussein. She tells them about how she had liked Hussein for ages before the year at the academy when they finally fell in love properly, realising that they wanted to be together. In return, Asha and Amiya tell her stories about their own academy, and about their time at Tawang.

"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon," Amiya tells her regretfully, "I just hope it's possible that we might all be posted together after you graduate."

Naina nods, agreeing with her. "I hate to go back," she tells her, "But I'm already due to receive punishment for this, the longer I'm away, the worse it will probably be."

"You still haven't told us," Amiya finally says, "Who it is that you and Hussein are named after."

Naina hesitates, not sure whether she should be revealing it or not, unable to decide what she should or should not tell.

"It's a very long story," she finally tells them, "Ask Hussein to tell you once he's recovered."

"Can't you at least give us a hint for now?" Amiya asks her, unwilling to let a mystery simply rest.

"We were named after two people that our parents loved very much…" Naina finally says, "Both of whom were in the army and both of whom were martyred at an early age."

"And they loved each other too?" Amiya asks, guessing the last bit, and Naina nods.

"Yes," she says almost in a whisper, "They loved each other more than they loved even their own lives."

The words send a chill up Asha's spine, and she stares at the girl sitting in front of her, wondering why it is that she's so reluctant to tell them the whole story. Suddenly she gets the feeling that this story is incredibly important, that it's something that she should hear, needs to hear…

However she is distracted from asking by the sight of Dhiraj walking in accompanied by Samir.

As Amiya watches Asha watching Dhiraj, she realises with a start, that Naina is watching them too, a look of such understanding and sorrow on her face that it shocks her.

Dhiraj and Samir make their way to the table, joining the three girls.

"We stopped by to check on Hussein again, but he was asleep." Samir informs them, "However the doctors told us that he's making good progress."

"Then I can at least go back to the academy with no worries," Naina says, sounding relieved, "I know that you'll all be here to look after him."

"Don't worry," Dhiraj tells her, "I won't let anything happen to Hussein, I owe him a debt, for…" he stops speaking, wondering how it is that he had been about to say that but Naina pretends that she hasn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Instead she just nods, because she knows that just as Dhiraj will be trying to protect Hussein, Hussein will also be trying to protect the two of them.

She has faith, that now nothing can go wrong again.

As Ali, Pooja and Naina say their goodbyes to Hussein the next day, they are joined by Asha and Amiya who have also come to bid them farewell. The two girls hug Naina, promising to keep in touch with her, before they turn to Hussein's parents.

"I wish you didn't have to leave so soon," Asha tells them, struggling to control her emotions and wondering why it is that she feels this way. "We've only just met you and…"

"We'll meet again," Pooja says, a tone of such surety in her voice that nobody would be able to doubt it. "And when we do… it will be in better circumstances."

Pooja wants to hug Asha… wants to hug her Naina… but knows that she can't, that such a gesture would seem out of place. Instead she touches both Asha and Amiya's cheeks lightly, trying to content herself with only this much.

"You take care…" Ali tells his son just before they leave, "Of yourself and of…" He doesn't need to complete the sentence, Hussein has understood.

Hussein has always understood.

On the journey back, Pooja cries on her husband's shoulder. But they are not the tears that she allowed herself to shed twice a year before now, tears of despair and anger. Instead they are tears of hope and yet also of longing.

Because finally, after a long time, her hope has returned, and she thinks that Asha's name could not be more appropriate.

Because Pooja hopes that one day it will finally all work out as it was meant to, before everything went horribly wrong.

And she hopes, that one day she will be able to embrace her best friend again as she wishes to.

But for now she will wait.

And Pooja smiles, because she feels that her Rajveer Sir's new name is quite appropriate too.

Because it is only with hope, that you can have patience.

And now after a very long time, Pooja once again has both.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

_He had placed a blindfold over her eyes, leading her down, and when arrived and he removed it, she couldn't help but smile, honestly surprised. _

_"Aalekh, this is…" she had said, but he had shushed her, as if to tell her not to dare thank him. _

_All of her friends were there, gathered around a cake with candles, with Suriji, Lolitaji and Dr Shalini there as well._

_Her eyes searched for him, and finally found him near the back of the group, arms crossed over his chest, an expectant look in his eyes. _

_He had known that she would look for him. _

_And when she cut the cake, she had offered the first piece to him… just as he knew she would._

_He had closed his fingers around hers, as she had brought the cake to his lips, and it had taken all of his self control to take the piece out of her hands and raise it to his own mouth._

_"Happy Birthday Naina…" he had told her, "May all your wishes come true."_

_And although she had denied it… although she had never admitted it even to Pooja…_

_What she had really wished for was him. _

It has been only four days since Hussein has regained consciousness, and while he had been moved out of the ICU the day before, he is still confined to his bed. He had an almost constant stream of visitors, whether it was Aalekh and Abhimanyu or Asha and Amiya or Samir and Dhiraj.

He had woken the night before to find Dhiraj sitting by his bed, watching him, and as Hussein had opened his eyes, he had been surprised at first, wondering what he was doing there.

"Did I wake you?" Dhiraj had asked him, pouring water into a glass and offering it to Hussein who gladly accepted, sipping it.

"No, I generally wake a few times throughout the night when the pain medication is running low," Hussein tells him, "What are you doing here so late, Sir?"

"Actually I had wanted to talk to you, but hadn't realised it was so late…" Dhiraj tells him, "And then I thought I would sit with you for awhile."

"Tell me, Sir." Hussein says, struggling to sit up as Dhiraj leans forward to assist him, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Actually I wanted to thank you…" Dhiraj says quietly, "For… for risking your life. If it wasn't for you then…"

Hussein knows that Dhiraj won't be able to complete the sentence, and taking pity on him, nods to let him know that he understands.

"As long as I'm there I won't allow anything to happen to her… to either of them." Hussein says, "I've taken them as my sisters, and it is a brother's duty to protect his sisters."

Dhiraj nods, looking as if he longs to say something but can not find the words.

"I can never repay you for this." He finally says, "Never. If she had died…"

If she had died then the world would've been empty, without meaning.

If she had died then there would've been no point at all in him continuing to live.

If she had died then he would've torn this world apart at the seams, set fire to it.

But how can he say all these things to the young man in the hospital bed in front of him? How can he possibly say them to anyone?

Hussein is his junior officer, and there's no way that Dhiraj should be telling any of these things to him.

"It's alright Sir…" Hussein finally replies, "I understand."

For some reason Dhiraj does not doubt for a single moment that he actually does.

He stands, feeling a bit lighter after having finally thanked the young man. "Is there anything I can do for you before I go?" he asks, "Should I send the nurse?"

"It would be good if you could do that," Hussein agrees, "Have a good night, Sir."

As Dhiraj walks towards the nurse's station, Hussein wishes that he could call out to him, say something to him.

But it is still not the right time.

And Hussein must continue to be patient.

He wakes up again the next day after drifting off shortly before lunch to find that Asha and Amiya are there, whispering to each other, Amiya giggling.

"Hey," he tells them both groggily, "What are you two doing here?"

"Shhh," Amiya tells him, holding a finger over her lips, "Whatever you do, don't attract the nurse's attention."

"But why?" Hussein asks them, starting to wake up a bit more now but still feeling confused.

"Because they'll kick us out if they know!" Amiya hisses at him, "We've brought you something to eat!"

"Brought me something to eat?" Hussein asks, confused. "Why are you bringing me things to eat?"

"Because you must be sick of hospital food by now," Asha tells him sensibly, "So we bribed the kitchen staff to allow us in to make you something."

"You made me something?" he asks bewildered.

"What else were we going to do on our day off without you?" Amiya asks him shrugging, "Captains Samir and Dhiraj are off doing important army things so we can't bug them, Rajesh hasn't dared to show his face yet and Vijay and Akash are currently out on patrol. So you see, cooking for you was the most fun activity we could come up with."

"So what did you make me then?" Hussein finally asks, beginning to smile.

"Kheer!" Amiya announces enthusiastically, bringing a container out of her bag that they've obviously smuggled in secretly. She takes out a spoon too, before removing the lid and giving both to him.

Hussein leans down to smell it and then grins.

"You two are the best!" he tells them, "Why don't I get injured more often?"

"Don't even joke about that." Asha tells him strictly, "When we thought you were about to die… you have no idea what it did to the two of us. Neither of us could stop crying, stop thinking about…"

"Although I think that for Hussein's sake since he was unconscious at the time, we should share the news that you definitely had somebody ready to comfort you." Amiya announces mischievously, pulling out two more spoons, and using her own to start eating some of the kheer.

Hussein tries very hard not to look amused for Asha's sake, since she's currently looking as if she's very annoyed at Amiya's comment.

"Well thank you very much for the news flash for Hussein's sake, Amiya," Asha tells her, "If you're so concerned about him knowing these things then perhaps I should inform him about you first crying on Captain Samir's shoulder and then going to sleep on it." Asha suggests, digging her own spoon into the container with a raised eyebrow.

This time it's almost too much for Hussein to resist and he tries not to laugh, gulping down another spoon of kheer.

"That was different," Amiya says defensively, "Captain Samir and I have no such scene between us."

"What? And I do?" Asha asks her, sounding a bit offended.

They both turn to look at her at this comment, and even Hussein raises his eyebrows this time.

"Why are you both looking at me like that?" Asha asks them, leaning forward to get more kheer, "I don't… I mean we don't… I mean…" she suddenly gets flustered and gives up.

"I think it's time you stopped pretending, Asha." Amiya tells her, "At least around us. Both Hussein and I know perfectly well what's what. Let's face it, you definitely have a love life to comment on… even Hussein has a love life to comment on." She suddenly frowns, "This is very unfair, why am I the only one with no love life to comment on?"

"Well if what Asha says is true, it certainly seems like you were making a good start on one while I was on my death bed." Hussein remarks, trying to pull the container away as Amiya once again attempts dig her spoon into it. "I thought that this kheer was for me?"

"It is…" Amiya tells him, "But we thought we should at least taste it to check if it's okay for you to eat. And I was certainly not getting started on a love life while you were on your death bed, Asha has completely misrepresented the situation!" she glares at Asha slightly, "Captain Samir is way too bhadro for all that."

"What's 'bhadro'?" Hussein asks, confused by the Bengali word she's slipped into the conversation.

"Does that mean that if he wasn't so bhadro, you would have a love life by now?" Asha asks her teasingly, "Just keep on hugging him like that more often and I'm sure he'll get the message eventually."

Amiya actually blushes, the first time that Hussein has ever seen her do so.

"Would somebody please tell me what the meaning of 'bhadro' is?" he asks desperately.

"Bhadro means polite," Asha finally informs him, and Hussein laughs, almost choking on his kheer.

"I think that's an absolutely perfect description of him…" Hussein comments, glancing at Amiya and looking amused, "However it's a perfectly different matter that it couldn't be used to describe you…"

Amiya goes to hit him and then remembering his wound stops, and they all start laughing as she glares at both of them.

"What's so funny?" Samir asks them, as he walks into the room with Dhiraj, obviously having arrived for their daily check of Hussein's condition.

Amiya turns bright red, and Hussein and Asha just start laughing even harder.

Dhiraj stands transfixed where he stands, watching Asha laugh because it feels as if it has been a lifetime since the last time he saw her laugh like this, carefree, happy, and so excruciatingly beautiful that it brings a pain to his heart.

If only he could see her like this always, untouched by any pain…

Samir gives Dhiraj a nudge, breaking his trance and they walk into the room.

"What's so funny?" Samir asks them once again good naturedly, wanting to share in the joke. This just makes Amiya turn even redder and Asha and Hussein laugh even harder.

"Nothing at all, Sir." Amiya says hurriedly, "It was just a joke." And then she glares at the other two, as if warning them not to say anything.

"Would you like some kheer, Sirs?" Hussein asks to distract them both, not wanting to embarrass Amiya more in case she murders him and Asha.

"Wow, I didn't know that the cooks were making kheer today." Samir says, "Now I really am looking forward to dinner."

"They're not," Amiya remarks with a grin, seeming to forget her earlier embarrassment, "It was these two cooks right here that made it." And she indicates herself and Asha.

"And don't worry, you're not going to get poisoned if you try some," Hussein jokes with them, "It really is quite good."

"How did you manage to make kheer in this place?" Samir asks with a frown, "As far as I know, the only stoves are in the kitchen."

"It's called bribery, and it's a long and proud tradition in our country." Amiya informs him, offering him her spoon.

Samir tries to hide a smile at this statement and look disapproving instead, but takes the spoon and tries some kheer, nodding slightly as he eats it.

"This is really good!" he tells them, "The next time you get the urge to make some more tell Dhiraj and I… we'll be happy to sponsor the bribery if we can have some." He jokes to them both before turning to his friend "Dhiraj, aren't you going to try some?" he asks, and finally, Asha holds out her spoon to him and he takes it seriously, brushing his fingers against hers.

He tastes it just as solemnly, while Samir watches with an amused expression on his face, and finally Dhiraj smiles. "Yes, definitely worthy of bribery." He tells them, before handing the spoon back to Asha. "Now Samir, I think we'd better get back to work before there's no kheer actually left for Hussein."

Samir nods at this, and they prepare to leave.

"See you later," he tells them all, and Dhiraj with only one last look at Asha, follows him out as well.

"Oh wow," Hussein comments in an undertone, "Mr 'Bhadro' liked your kheer… maybe there's hope yet for your love life."

Asha starts laughing again and Amiya glares at them. "Shut up, both of you…" she tells them, "How many times do I have to tell you that there's no such thing…" and pretending to be offended, she goes to get up

Asha grabs her hand and tugs her back down, "Stop it," she tells Amiya, "You know we're only teasing you… although judging by the shade of red you're turning…"

Amiya tries to get up again, and laughing, Asha tugs her back down again.

"I'm never complaining about not having a love life to comment on again," Amiya grumbles, "I swear I've never teased either of you this much before."

"Fine, fine." Hussein tells her, "Enough teasing for the day, now sit down and help me eat some more of this."

"Well… if you insist." Amiya tells him with a grin, and sits back down again.

Because really, she had asked for it.

It is late at night when Aalekh is called into Abhimanyu's office, only to see a worried look on his mentor's face, a look which indicates that something has happened, something that shouldn't have…

"What is it, Sir?" Aalekh asks him, knowing that it's vital he finds out as soon as possible.

"I've just received news…" Abhimanyu tells him, "We need to call all of the senior officers together for a meeting as soon as possible."

"What has happened?" Aalekh asks, "Have they broken through our defenses? Is there an impending attack?"

"It seems we were wrong about their immediate intentions…" Abhimanyu comments, "Or perhaps this is just the first step towards an eventual aggression on our borders. Anyway, I won't delay telling you for any longer. Half an hour ago we received word that the Chinese Army has just invaded Bangladesh through the border they share with Burma."

Aalekh turns pale, absorbing the news quickly. Yet another invasion… and this one would give them even greater access to India's border, enabling them to now attack on two fronts if they chose to.

"And the Bangladeshi Army?" Aalekh asks him desperately, hoping for good news.

"Are fighting bravely but are no match against the strength of the Chinese." Abhimanyu informs him, "They're already headed towards Chittagong. The Bangladeshi government has requested immediate assistance, it has called on its allies… called on us."

"And will we answer that call?" Aalekh asks him.

"Our superiors are still deciding…" Abhimanyu informs him, "But I think that yes, we will."

"I'll go and organise the meeting, Sir." Aalekh tells him, and leaves to do so.

Because while the war had not yet come to them… It seemed entirely likely that they were about to go to war.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

_The moment Naina had found the note in her room she had opened it curiously, wondering what was contained in it. She had recognised the handwriting immediately, knowing it was him who had written it._

_Her heart had skipped a beat as she imagined what he might have written to her, and then, as she read the lines contained in the letter… stopped entirely. _

_No…_

_No, this was not happening…_

_The sudden rush of fear had paralysed her, she had wanted to scream but no sound would come out of her mouth._

_He had written that he would be meeting the boss, that he was going to try to get the red box and that if he was not back in an hour, she should bring reinforcements to the location._

_And the last line he had written, 'I will come back when I have proven myself', had filled her with a dread that she couldn't explain. _

_Suddenly released from her paralysis she had run, screaming for Aalekh, run, hoping that it wasn't too late, that they would be in time…_

_She had run…_

_But not fast enough._

Asha woke with a sense of foreboding, the same feeling that she had had for the past three days ever since they had received the news about Bangladesh being invaded. Everyday there was worse news about losses of territory as Bangladesh's army was pushed further and further back.

Ministers and Generals were in Delhi for talks, even Brigadier Chauhan had flown out to join them, and a decision was finally expected today.

Asha wasn't sure what it was that she hoped the decision was, that they would join the war or stay out of it. On one hand she was worried about their forces becoming entangled in a battle when they were needed to protect the borders here, and on the other hand she didn't want to abandon a neighbouring country, leaving it to its fate.

Their countries may have been separated long ago, but they spoke the same language as her and Amiya… had some of the same customs. She couldn't help but feel as if in some way it was her own people who had been invaded and were currently under occupation.

She knew that Amiya felt the same way because her friend had been uncharacteristically quiet the past three days, waiting for any news, waiting to find out what the outcome would be and what their own army would do.

Today Brigadier Chauhan was finally due back from the talks in Delhi. Today, they would find out what fate had in store for all of them.

As Aalekh stood to attention to welcome Abhimanyu back, he noticed that the older man looked more tired than he had seen him in a long time, conflicted, as if there was a battle going on inside of him. Aalekh couldn't ask him while they were surrounded by the other officers so he waited as Abhimanyu announced a meeting to be held in an hour's time and then followed him to his office, taking a seat in front of the desk and waiting for his friend to speak.

Abhimanyu put his head in his hands briefly, sighed and then looked up.

"We will be sending a force," he finally tells Aalekh, "There are two battalions currently ready to be sent who are not posted in potentially sensitive areas, they'll be leaving tomorrow. A third and possibly fourth battalion will also be sent when they're able to be mobilised. We won't be moved from Tawang, the situation here is still far too tense, and they're worried that the invasion might be a technique to make us drop our guard."

Aalekh nods, "But this is good news, isn't it?" he asks, wondering why it is that Abhimanyu looks so tense.

"It is…" Abhimanyu tells him, "For the people of Bangladesh at least… the problem is that the battalions which are currently prepared for deployment are non-Bangla speaking ones, and they need translators, translators who would be trained for battle situations, even able to fight alongside."

"And how does this affect us?" Aalekh asks, beginning to frown because if Abhimanyu is focusing on this detail so much…

"We have quite a few Bengalis in our battalion here." Abhimanyu tells him, "They've all been called up temporarily due to our closeness to the border and their battle readiness. Once proper translators are found and trained, they will return to us."

Aalekh pales, finally understanding why it is that Abhimanyu looks so tense. "And we have no choice in this?" he asks, "We have to send them?"

"Yes, we have to," Abhi replies with a look of frustration, "How can I refuse? What can I possibly tell them?"

What could he possibly tell them?

That he was scared to send Asha Dutt away from where she was meant to be, scared about what might happen.

There was nothing he could do now.

Except follow orders.

Hussein takes tentative steps outside aided by Asha and Amiya, who take him to sit in the sun. He's finally been discharged from the medical wing, but isn't allowed to resume active duties yet, he's been ordered to rest instead and regain his strength.

They've just settled him onto a bench, sitting down beside him when they see Dhiraj and Samir approaching from a distance, talking seriously. Hussein raises a hand in greeting and they both nod, heading towards the three.

"You're looking much better today, Hussein." Dhiraj tells him, "You'll be back on active duty in no time at all."

"I hope so, Sir." Hussein tells them, "It's driving me crazy not to be able to do anything except rest."

"Look at all the thanks we get," Amiya says with a raised eyebrow, "Ever since you woke up we've been trying our best to keep you distracted, and now you say you've been driven crazy."

She tries her best to look annoyed while really hiding a smile.

"You know that wasn't what I meant…" Hussein starts to say, and then gives up, realising that she's actually joking. "Where are you headed Sirs?" he asks them, "We heard there was going to be a meeting now that Brigadier Chauhan is back."

"There is," Dhiraj replies, "We're on our way to it right now." His eyes pass briefly over Asha as she looks up at him, a quietly considering look on her face. "As long as it's not confidential we'll tell you the news after the meeting is finished."

They all nod, and the two Captains head off, neither aware of what it is that they're actually about to hear.

The moment that Abhimanyu tells them about the orders from above, he watches for Dhiraj's reaction.

Dhiraj's face drains of colour as he realises immediately what this means, that she is about to be separated from him, sent into unknown dangers, alone except for Amiya. He fights to control his emotions, fights to control the fear inside him, he wants to protest this, protest that they can't send her away from him, can't…

He is almost about to raise his hand to say something when Samir grabs it, stopping him. "You can't make a scene, Dhiraj." He hisses at him, "I know how you're feeling right now but this isn't their decision, it's come from above."

Dhiraj notices that his friend looks equally as tense, his face pale. He tries to control his breathing, tries to calm down, Samir is right, he can't make a scene about this, no matter how he feels. He's a soldier first and foremost as is she and he can't question the commands of his superiors, he must only follow them.

Even if they're responsible for taking her away from him.

Asha, Amiya and Hussein are still sitting in the sunshine, chatting about the latest letter that Hussein has received from Naina, when they see Dhiraj and Samir once again approaching in the distance.

The two of them stop some distance away, arguing about something, and Samir grabs Dhiraj's shoulders as if to calm him down. It is several minutes later that they finish their discussion, finally moving towards Asha, Amiya and Hussein as the three of them glance at each other, confused by what is going on.

Dhiraj looks at Asha with such a haunted expression that her breath is nearly taken away. It is as if he is trying to reassure himself of something, and yet there is a fear in his eyes…

A fear that she recognises only too well.

She realises at that moment that he is scared of losing her.

And she had no idea why.

"You've been called to see Brigadier Chauhan," Samir tells them, and as Hussein starts to get up as well he corrects himself, "I mean that Asha and Amiya have been called to see Brigadier Chauhan."

"Why only them?" Hussein asks, sounding confused. "Is something wrong?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Samir responds, sounding slightly upset, "For the moment it's better if Brigadier Chauhan explains everything, he wants to see you both immediately."

Nodding, they both walk off, Asha glancing back in Dhiraj's direction as he stands with one fist clenched, breathing hard.

"Sirs, just tell me what's going on please?" Hussein asks them both, suddenly feeling very worried about this.

"They're both going to Bangladesh…" Samir tells him, "Along with all other Bangla speakers in our unit."

Unable to control himself for any longer, Dhiraj turns and walks away towards their quarters without a single word.

The moment that they had found out, standing there with Vijay, Akash and the others, Asha had suddenly understood… understood the look on Dhiraj's face as he stared at her, the anguish in his eyes.

They would be leaving… the very next day. There was almost no time left… and she and Amiya would be away from everybody they were close to, everybody familiar.

Now they sat in the canteen with Hussein who still looked slightly shocked, as if unable to believe that this had really happened.

"They can't do this…" he says, "Can't send you away like this, away from all of us. I can't even go with you…"

"No you certainly can't," Amiya tells him, "Not in this state anyway. But don't you wish you'd paid more attention when I kept trying to teach you Bangla? Now the two of us are going off to war and you're going to be stuck here."

She tries to sound cheerful, but really there's a sinking feeling in her gut that has been there ever since she heard the news. Along with their unit and their friends, she had been ready to face any enemy, but now to be incorporated into an entirely new battalion, to leave their friends behind…

"But you'll be completely alone there," Hussein protests, "You won't know anybody there and…"

"Hussein we're going for war not a school excursion," Asha tells him, "We don't need to know anybody, and you're forgetting Vijay and Akash will both be going too, we've known them for even longer than we've known you."

She glances around the canteen again after saying this, looking for him. Because she hasn't been able to see him from the moment they came back from the meeting, has no idea where he is, how he's feeling…

She notices Samir walk in and glances behind him hopefully, waiting… but Dhiraj doesn't appear.

As Samir takes a seat beside Amiya, Asha looks at him questioningly. "Where's Captain Dhiraj?" she asks him, a slight frown on her face. Now, when she has only this night left… won't he at least come to sit with her? To bid her farewell?

"Dhiraj didn't feel like eating tonight." Samir answers glumly, "He's in our room."

Asha tries to wait, tries to be subtle, but as the entire table looks at her expectantly she realises that there's no point. She pushes her plate away and then stands abruptly.

"I'll just…" she starts to say, and then looking at them all realises that there's really no point in trying to make any type of excuse.

As Asha leaves, Samir glances first at Hussein and then at Amiya who is pushing her food around her plate.

"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" he asks her quietly, "Are you nervous?"

"This is what we trained for…" Amiya tells him, "We always knew this day would come. I think if anything, it's being separated from our friends that we're both most upset about, but in war, you can't choose who fights by your side."

"I'll…" Samir says, before correcting himself, "We'll miss you. Both of you." He corrects himself again, leaving Hussein to pretend that he hasn't noticed anything.

"We'll miss you too." Amiya says, suddenly becoming quite emotional. "But you know, you can call us… or write to us… we'll be waiting to hear from… all of you."

They stare at each other for a minute, and Hussein resists the urge to sigh, because nothing is going to be said or done with both of them continuing to act like this.

Amiya had been right.

Way too 'bhadro'.

"I told you that I don't want to…" Dhiraj wrenched the door open on hearing the soft knock, expecting that Samir has come back to ask him once again to come to the canteen and eat something.

Instead he sees her standing there, a question in her eyes and he wonders how it is that he didn't realise that she would come.

It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to see her, ached to see her, to memorise her face before she left, to hold her, to…

The problem had been that he had been afraid if he saw her he wouldn't be able to control his emotions for any longer, and out of fear of losing her he might….

Not saying a word he steps aside to let her in, closing the door firmly behind her.

"You didn't come for dinner." She tells him, an air of expectance around her, "I had thought that before I left…"

"I don't…" he whispers, before stopping and sighing. He reaches out, takes her hands in his, holding them tightly, "I don't want you to go." He finally says.

"I don't want to either," Asha whispers back, "But you know that it's my duty, and no matter what, duty must always come first."

"Yes," he agrees with her, "Duty must always come first, but that doesn't mean that I can stand to see you leave, that I can be happy about it."

His honesty shocks her, after how long they've both spent trying to keep their feelings under control. She had never expected him to say this, to admit exactly how he felt about it.

"Of course not," she tells him, wanting to reassure him, wanting to make certain that he at least feels better before she leaves. "But we'll be back before you know it, as soon as they have the new translators trained, and then…"

She is cut off from her next sentence because before she can speak, Dhiraj has moved forward, so quickly that she is shocked. He brings both his hands up to cup her face, staring into her eyes intently.

"Asha, I can't lose you." He tells her, a naked type of desperation in his eyes, "I can't… if I did…"

"You won't," she promises him, bringing her own hands up to cover his, "You'll never lose me…"

Before she can say anything else, he leans down to kiss her, pressing his lips to hers with such force and desperation that for a moment she is shocked, unable to respond. Then as he moves his hands to tangle one in her hair, the other to her waist, bringing her closer to him, she wakes from her daze to realise that yes, he is kissing her, kissing her as if to imprint himself on her, or her on him.

Asha isn't sure which it is, but the thought of leaving him… being without him for such a long time… is as if she is about to be separated from a piece of her soul.

Without questioning, she begins to kiss him back, matching both his fervour and desperation, because although neither of them have yet formally said anything about their feelings, she knows… knows what he means to her.

As he devours her mouth, his lips warm and slightly salty against hers, she savours it, because this may be the last opportunity they have to be close for who knows how long.

Her back against the door, her hands now both clutching his shirt tightly, she tries to imprint this kiss into her mind, to memorise the feel of him, his smell, his touch.

Finally, Dhiraj pulls away from her, taking a shaky breath as if to calm himself. He closes his eyes briefly, and then leans his forehead against hers for a moment.

"Come back safely…" he tells her, "Come back to _me_."

Asha nods once, and unable to help himself he kisses her again, softer, less demanding this time but still with an urgency, a knowledge that they don't have much time. Finally, after what seems like an age, they part again, Asha's heart thumping unsteadily in her chest.

"You should go now," he tells her seriously, "Before I…"

Asha nods silently again, knowing what it is that he means. "Will you come tomorrow, to say goodbye to me?" she asks, and Dhiraj stares at her for a moment.

Then he crushes her to his chest, hugging her tightly with all the force that he can muster. "Yes," he tells her, "I will."

Then finally letting her go, he opens the door and Asha steps out, knowing that she can't stay there any longer, that if she does…

He watches her go, unable to take his eyes off her until the last moment.

It's only temporary, he tells himself. She'll be back soon, he knows she will.

But that doesn't make the parting any easier.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two**

_He knows that it's only for two weeks and yet parting with her…_

_She is chatting excitedly with her friends, happy to be finished the first year at KMA, finally about to become a second year cadet. _

_She will only be gone on holiday for two weeks, but in those two weeks…_

_He thinks about how recently it was that she hated him, how recently it was that she forgave him, and now when he finally has her back, he has to let go of her again. _

_The bus arrives to take them to the station and she goes to climb in then hesitates. She looks around, searching for him. They have already said their goodbyes, but there is a question in her eyes, and he wonders… whether she feels the same pangs of separation. _

_He gives her one last final nod, which conveys everything he can't say in words, and giving him a final smile she climbs into the bus. _

_Raj is not sure whether to hope that she feels this parting as he does, or that she remains innocent to it, happy, unaware…_

_May she never find out about his feelings for her, may she forever remain innocent. _

_Because he would never wish for her to feel the pain of this love like he does. _

The morning that they are due to leave, Asha and Amiya get ready silently, without their usual jokes and laughter. They braid each others' hair, almost as a way of giving strength to one another, reassuring themselves that they'll be together in this journey. They pause, looking at themselves in the mirror before they leave the room. Asha reaches out and hugs Amiya, knowing how nervous her normally cheerful friend must be feeling.

"It will be fine, Amiya." Asha tells her, "We've already faced some combat here, and we're going there to be translators foremost."

"It's not the combat that I'm worried about…" Amiya tells her, "It's just that I'd gotten used to things here in Tawang, our friends… the routine…."

"Our friends will still be here when we get back," Asha tells her quietly, "And we will come back to them."

She remembers her promise, the one that Dhiraj had made her make, that she would come back safely… to him.

The last words almost send a shiver down her spine, because somehow it feels right that she should always return to him, always…

Amiya notices the far away look in her friend's eyes and knows what it is she must be thinking about. It had been perfectly obvious what had happened the night before when Asha had come into the room with cheeks flushed, looking self conscious. Amiya hadn't asked her, or even tried to tease her… all she could hope was that Asha was happy and would stay that way.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock at the door and Amiya crosses to open it, surprised to see Hussein standing there.

"Hussein you should've known we would've come to say goodbye to you." She tells him, "Are you sure you should be coming here when you're still recovering?"

"I can at least come this far," Hussein tells her dully, "Especially when I'm not going to be accompanying you both on such an important journey."

He walks into the room looking more upset than either of them have ever seen him. Asha had known this would be difficult for him, to let them go. She knows that he's extremely protective of both of them, taking his duties as a brother very seriously.

"If I could've come with you…" Hussein starts saying, but Asha just shakes her head at him.

"You know it's impossible, Hussein." She tells him, "Just concentrate on getting better, we want you fully recovered by the time we return."

"And besides Hussein, if you go with us then who's going to stay here and annoy Captain Dhiraj and Captain Samir?" Amiya asks him with a mischievous smile, trying to make him feel better. "You know that their lives will be far too peaceful without us."

Hussein manages to smile back at this, although it is a weak one. "Alright, both of you sit down." He tells them, "I don't know whether you believe in this… but it will make me feel better."

Murmuring prayers of protection he fixes a taweez around both of their necks, making sure that it hangs securely.

"And don't either of you dare take it off before you arrive back." He informs them sternly, "Even I'm a bit superstitious."

Amiya has tears in her eyes and she throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "I'm going to miss you Hussein." She tells him, and he hugs her back just as tightly before turning to Asha.

"Don't worry about us at all," Asha tells him, also struggling not to cry, "Amiya and I were two of the best pass outs from our batch… just stay safe yourself, and…"

She can't finish the last sentence, hoping that Hussein will understand what she wants to say. That he should keep an eye on Dhiraj, make sure that he's not falling apart. Because Asha knows that there is a very real risk of that happening.

Hussein nods, and Asha hugs him fiercely, wondering how it is that she and Amiya will ever do without him. She blinks away the tears, refusing to let them fall. She will stay brave in front of him, even if he really knows what it is that she's feeling.

They all walk together in silence towards the point where they'll be leaving, not able to say anything due to their turmoil in their hearts. They have just started out when they notice Dhiraj and Samir coming towards them, obviously intending to say their last goodbyes.

Dhiraj looks as if he has been fighting a battle internally, his eyes tired from lack of sleep, his mouth set tightly as if trying to hide his distress. Seeing him, Asha's heart almost breaks, she wishes that there was some way she could remain with him.

But she has always believed that duty comes first… and she knows that he does as well.

"We came to say goodbye," Samir tells them dully, his face is so open and honest that it's easy to tell that he's upset, even if he's hiding it better than Dhiraj is. "Of course it's just goodbye for a little while," he says almost as if to reassure himself, "A few weeks at most."

"Yes, a few weeks at the most." Amiya repeats, staring at him as if she's waiting for him to say something else. "We'll be back before you know it."

"Just… be careful." Samir tells her, his turmoil a bit more apparent now, then glances at Asha too who is still staring at Dhiraj. "Both of you." He adds, and they both nod.

Impulsively, Amiya hugs him, happy when he enfolds his own arms around her, warm and comforting. She briefly allows herself to lean her head against his chest before letting go of him. Noticing that Samir seems to be almost about to blush she quickly hugs Dhiraj as well, trying to cover it up. Dhiraj gives her an almost brotherly hug back, placing one hand on her head.

It is then that he looks around, to see if anybody is watching before he pulls Asha into a tight embrace, crushing her to his chest, his arms securely around her as if he'll never let her go.

"Remember your promise to me," Dhiraj whispers in her ear, and she nods, unable to speak, her head buried in his chest.

Then before he can lose control of his emotions, he lets go of her reluctantly, clutching her hand briefly before he steps away.

They continue towards the departure point in silence, for Dhiraj at least it is almost impossible to speak, the emotions he feels choking his voice.

When they arrive they see all of the other departing soldiers already there, their friends standing with them, preparing to bid them a last farewell. Without thinking about it, Asha's footsteps take her towards where Colonel Sharma and Brigadier Chauhan stand, Amiya following her.

She salutes them both, and Amiya follows her example. "We'll make you proud, Sirs." She tells them, "We'll all return having completed our duties with honour and pride, successful in our mission."

Aalekh tries to speak but is choked up, unable to get the words out. He's sending her into danger, to a place where he won't be there to look after her, protect her. While he's done his best to remain optimistic, he can't help but feel afraid of what might happen. Losing her once nearly killed him, if he loses her again he'll never recover from it.

Sensing Aalekh's inability to speak, Abhimanyu steps in for him. "We know that you will, Lieutenants." He tells them both, "We'll be waiting to welcome you both back safe and sound."

"Be careful." Aalekh finally tells them, "Make sure that you don't take any unnecessary risks."

They both nod and when Asha looks at him, there appears to be a spark of something in her eye… a reluctance to part or perhaps a remembrance of it.

"Sir…" she starts to say, and then stops as if unsure of what it was she wanted to express. "Sir," she finally continues, "You don't need to worry about us, we'll come back to you just as we left you."

Aalekh nods, because he believes her. Hasn't she come back to him just as she left him once already? And this time… this time she doesn't have to come back from death, just the neighbouring country.

As the call comes for them to leave, Hussein hugs them both again, and Amiya gives a last wave and a half hearted smile to Samir, who tries to smile back but fails miserably, his worry clearly showing on his face.

It is then that Asha wishes she could reach out to Dhiraj one last time, feel him against her skin, draw strength from him. But here in the middle of a crowd it's impossible, so instead she has to be content with looking at him, trying to commit his image to memory.

She has no photos of him… but somehow she knows that every time she closes her eyes she'll be able to see his face.

The first day that they arrive, it is obvious to see that they have come to a warzone. The atmosphere was entirely different to Tawang, and it was not an optimistic one. There was an air of defeat about the Bangladeshi soldiers, almost as if they had given up hope of winning. The wounded were too numerous to count, and Asha and Amiya purposefully avoid counting the freshly filled in graves.

It is obvious that they are losing the war, and losing it badly.

The arrival of the Indian soldiers gave a new breath of life to the camp, as if suddenly there was hope again, hope of not losing their country.

For the first two days there was no time to dwell on how much they missed those they had left behind, or to worry about the future. There was meeting after meeting of strategy and planning, rounds to be made of the camp to grow familiar with it and meetings with both their adopted battalions and the local soldiers in order to get to know them.

It was on the third day… that Asha and Amiya finally went outside the camp, posted on the first mission that their soldiers would be attempting, to try to recapture a village currently held by the Chinese.

Neither of them was supposed to actively participate in the fighting, being there instead to help translate between the Indian soldiers, Bangladeshi soldiers and the villagers. Once the combats starts however there is no other choice than to use their weapons.

The fighting continues for sixteen hours before there is finally a breakthrough, the Chinese soldiers signaling a retreat. By this stage everybody was too tired to celebrate, only raising a half hearted cheer as they saw them leaving from a distance.

It is then that Asha and Amiya's real work begins, reassuring the villagers, explaining who they are and where they have come from, helping to discuss future plans for the defense of the village to ensure it is not taken over again.

By the time they have finished, they have been awake for more than twenty four hours. The two of them collapse in one of the tents hastily set up, not even bothering to wash themselves or change their clothes. Hearing Amiya sobbing, Asha puts an arm around her, hugging her.

"It will be alright," she whispers, "It's just the first day… it'll get better in time."

Too exhausted to say anything else, they fall asleep in that position.

Samir had never seen Dhiraj in such a bad state ever before. The week that Asha had been suspended he had simply been frustrated, irritating. Ever since she left for Bangladesh he has barely spoken, has to be encouraged to eat and the strained expression on his face grows worse day by day as he struggles to keep his feelings under control.

Samir tries to help Dhiraj as much as he can, making him eat, sleep on time, and watching him carefully. Meanwhile he tries to cope with his own worry and fear and the fact that he is missing her… badly. He doesn't know when it happened, but at some point he became used to seeing her smile, laughing at her jokes, talking about their friends with her. And now he feels this fear for her and can not even tell her.

They haven't been able to contact them yet, every day they wait to be told that communications can be established and every day they're told the same thing, that the situation is not yet secure enough.

He is sitting in the canteen with Dhiraj, once again trying to get him to eat when Hussein walks in, and immediately heads towards their table, a slight smile on his face for the first time in days.

"Communications have finally been established," he tells them both when he sits down, "And I've booked a call to talk to both of them in an hour's time."

Samir can't help the smile that comes on his face, and Dhiraj looks as if he's struggling not to cry with relief. He reaches out and grasps Hussein's hand gratefully.

"How did you manage it?" he asks, "I didn't even hear that we could finally contact them…"

Hussein shrugs at this, "Uncle Aalekh and Uncle Abhimanyu." He tells them, "They had promised me that as soon as we could contact their camp, we could be the first ones to make a call."

"And now an hour…" Dhiraj murmurs, "We have to wait an hour."

"Try to eat something in that time, Sir." Hussein tells him, a worried tone in his voice, "They're both going to be upset if they find out you're not eating properly."

"Nobody has been eating properly…" Dhiraj tells him, "Not you and not Samir either… we'll all sit down and have a meal now, just to make them happy."

For the first time in days, he really does feel like eating something.

Hussein is the first to talk to them, reassuring himself that both of the girls are fine and that nothing has happened to them. They both sound exhausted, and when he asks they confirm that they've gotten very little sleep and have had to deal with far too much.

Finally telling them both to look after themselves, he passes the phone to Samir, having realised that it's probably best to allow Asha and Dhiraj to talk last so that they can leave them alone for some privacy.

Samir chats briefly with Asha before she passes the phone to Amiya, and when he hears her voice on the other end of the line a wave of relief passes through him. She still sounds the same, just tired… and perhaps there is something, a grief in her voice that was not there before.

"How are you?" he asks her, "Are you coping alright?"

"Not really." Amiya admits, honest as always, "If I didn't have Asha here with me, then I could never survive here. I mean… we train so much, but then when it's the reality… nothing prepares you for that."

Samir knows exactly what she means, it had been the same for him the first time he had been sent to a warzone.

"I know that you're brave, Amiya." He tells her, "You can do this… it's only for a short while and then you'll be back here with us."

"You're right," she tells him, "I can do this… it's just… hard."

He swallows, his throat dry as he tries to think what to tell her, but what advice can he give right now when she's the one in danger and he's safely here?

"Just… keep yourself safe." He tells her, "And Asha too of course."

"I will," she tells him, "Don't worry, I'll be back in more time, you still need to bribe the kitchen staff for us so that we can go to make some more kheer."

Samir gives a short laugh at this, unable to believe that she's still joking at a time like this. "When you come back, I'll be happy enough to make the kheer myself." He tells her, and then on hearing her laugh on the other end of the phone is happy that he's been able to make her feel a little bit better. "I'll just pass the phone to Dhiraj," he tells her, "You take care."

"You too." She tells him, and he passes over the phone to Dhiraj, who for the last few minutes has been looking as if he can barely stand still due to the effort of waiting.

He only talks to Amiya briefly, who makes an excuse about wanting to get to sleep and passes the phone to Asha as quickly as possible.

Then the moment has finally arrived, and he knows it from the second she has taken the phone, that those are her breaths that he can hear faintly from the other end of the line.

"Hello," she tells him quietly, and Dhiraj looks around to see that Hussein and Samir have both left, obviously wanting to give them both some privacy.

"I miss you," he tells her, without bothering to say anything else first, "I miss you so much that I can barely breathe."

Once again she is stunned by his honesty, and there is a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line.

"I miss you too…" she tells him, "I kept thinking that if you were here with us, then…."

She allows the line to trail off, not sure how to finish it. Because she wishes that he was here to give her strength, to hold her when she's tired, and most of all, because when he's with her, she feels as if nothing could happen to her.

"Have they told you yet when you'll be coming back?" he asks her, desperate for an answer.

"No they haven't," Asha informs him, "But I think…. That at the very least it will be a month. At the moment they need us far too much to release us, rely on us for communication with both the local army and the villagers."

"And how is it going?" Dhiraj asks her, "How's the situation?"

"We're not losing…" Asha tells him, "But we're not winning outright either. We've had some victories since we arrived, but we've had losses of other territory too. Every time we win something, we seem to lose something else."

She sounds so tired… he wishes that he could reach out and touch her, smoothe her hair, lull her to sleep in his arms or with her head in his lap. But all of these things are impossible, and all he can possibly do is encourage her.

"You'll have more victories soon," he reassures her, "There are more regiments on their way, even Pakistan and Sri Lanka are sending troops now. Once they arrive you'll have far more numbers than you do now… and maybe by then, you'll be able to come back home."

A silence stretches between them, as both think of the things that they wish they could say. However the telephone is not the right place for some things to be said, and in the end they both decide to remain silent.

"I remember my promise," she finally tells him, "And nothing will stop me from fulfilling it."

"I won't let you break it either," he tells her, "Whatever happens, you have to come back…"

Back to him.

"We'll see each other soon." She promises him, "Sooner than either of us could think."

He just hopes she's right.

Because he truly can't live without her.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

_She is surrounded by death and yet it does not touch her._

_All around her, people die, soldiers die, and yet the bullets never seem to hit her._

_It is not that she avoids them, she doesn't. She doesn't seek them either… if only because she doesn't want to abandon her fellow soldiers._

_She simply waits, believing that eventually she will be freed from the burden of this life. _

_She waits and hopes that death will correct its mistake, that it will realize that if it had to take him, then it should've taken her as well. _

_Because she had always thought… that she would follow him wherever he went._

_Why should this case be any different?_

She misses him so much that she has trouble just functioning.

While she's working, translating, or involved with combat it isn't as bad. Knowing how delicate the situation is, she doesn't allow herself to become distracted. However the moment she is free, when she begins to relax, she has only to close her eyes to see his face, and her breath catches in her throat with the pain of his absence.

She hadn't realised that it would be this bad.

She had known that she would miss him, but the sheer pain of it, the ache in her chest and low in her gut when she thinks of him…

They talk on the phone when they're able to, which is not as often as either of them would like. At these times she values even the occasional silences between them, the sound of his breath echoing down the other end of the line. She doesn't need to ask to know that he feels the same.

This morning she wakes up to find the camp in a state of excitement, because finally the combined Indian Pakistani force that has been undertaking joint training exercises has arrived.

And Asha begins to hope that she might return to him soon.

Hussein is returning from another visit to the doctor, who has finally given him the all clear to resume his duties, when an orderly stops him, telling him that he has a phone call. Forgetting that he's still meant to be taking things slowly he breaks into a run, thinking that it might be either Asha and Amiya.

Instead when he picks up the phone, he recognises the voice on the other end immediately, the familiarity bringing back a sense of homesickness to him.

"I can't believe that so much happened and nobody bothered to tell me," HJ complains, "Dad only just told me when he heard that I was being transferred. You managed to get your first battle scar and I haven't even seen any action yet."

Hussein laughs at this, remembering his friend's competitiveness from their academy days. "Well I hope you're not in a hurry to catch up with me this time, HJ." He tells him, "I don't want to get any calls that you've been injured."

"Well there's full chances now," HJ tells him cheerfully, "We've just arrived in Bangladesh to back up the soldiers that are already there."

Hussein's head swims at this, at the chances that HJ could be transferred to the exact same place that Asha and Amiya are, that he could meet them, that….

"Listen HJ, I've got two friends there." Hussein tells him, "Lieutenants Asha Dutt and Amiya Chatterjee. If you find them can you try to watch out for them?"

"Oh, so you've been making friends with girls now. Does Naina know about this?" HJ teases him.

Hussein laughs at this, "She's even met them," he informs HJ, "And she fully approves."

"And that was another thing that nobody bothered to inform me about!" HJ complains, remembering suddenly, "So finally your parents know about the two of you, should I be asking when the wedding is?"

"No wedding plans as yet…" Hussein tells him, "Let the war finish first and then we'll probably get engaged. I'd like to be a Captain at least before I marry her, but we'll see what our parents want."

"Well don't be in a rush to get married," HJ replies, "Once you do, then the pressure will be on me to follow your example and I have no desire to tie the knot just yet."

"HJ there's one more thing I have to tell you," Hussein says hesitantly, because he's been wondering how to do this. "Asha… my friend who's there in Bangladesh, she looks a lot like Naina. Not my Naina… our parents' Naina. Just don't say anything to her about it, she might find it strange."

"Don't worry, I won't. But if she looks like our parents' Naina, then all the better, she was a very pretty girl…" HJ tells him in a teasing tone, obviously joking.

"Don't even think about it." Hussein tells him sternly, "She's like my sister, and you know that you're banned from flirting with my sister."

"Well I'll try my best to resist, but no guarantees." HJ tells him with a sigh, "You get well soon, yaar. I'm missing you."

"I'm missing you too, HJ." Hussein tells him sincerely, "Be careful out there."

"I'm my father's son," HJ tells him, half joking and half serious, "Nothing will be able to harm me."

They hang up, and Hussein is left pondering this turn of events. He feels he's made the best decision by choosing not to tell HJ the truth, because HJ is definitely not the kind of guy who believes in things such as reincarnation , and he is after all, the one out of all of them who knows the least about the truth of the story…

All Hussein can hope right now, is that it all works out for the best.

Asha and Amiya are having their morning coffee in the canteen when Amiya spots a tall young man asking something from one of the orderlies who points in their direction. She frowns, wondering what on earth he could be asking about them for, and deciding that she's wrong, goes back to drinking her coffee.

However a second later, her suspicion is confirmed as he stands in front of them, beaming at them with a wide smile. Asha and Amiya exchange glances, unsure exactly what it is that he's standing there for.

"You two are Asha Dutt and Amiya Chatterjee, right?" he asks them, and when they nod, he grins even wider. "Hussein was right, you look exactly like…" then he cuts himself off as if he wasn't meant to say that.

"Look exactly like what?" Asha asks with a frown, and then remembering the first part of his sentence, "And how do you know Hussein?"

"I'm HJ," he tells them, offering his hand and they both shake it, "Hussein and I have been best friends ever since we were young. We were born in the same year, you know. He's slightly older and never lets me forget it."

Amiya laughs then, "I remember Hussein telling us about you, apparently you were the biggest flirt that his academy had ever seen."

"I think that honour might go to my father instead," HJ tells them seriously, "But if you like, I can always give you a demonstration of my skills." He grins mischievously at this last statement.

"Thanks but no thanks," Amiya tells him, "And don't even think of trying it with Asha."

"Why not?" HJ asks, now smiling flirtatiously at Asha instead, "Are you worried she might not be able to resist my charms?"

"I'm worried that you might end up with a broken nose or worse." Amiya replies back smartly, "That's what happened to the last person who tried."

"Oh ho, so Lieutenant Dutt isn't afraid to punch her admirers then?" he asks, clearly amused.

"It wasn't me," Asha says, a bit defensively, "And it wasn't for flirting either, Rajesh deserved it, and if Dhiraj hadn't…" she realises that she's getting a bit carried away, caught up in her memories, and stops.

"Oh, so Dhiraj is the name of my rival," HJ muses with a serious expression, "So tell me, what would it take to steal you away from him?"

Asha and Amiya both look at him in amazement, trying to work out whether he's serious or not, when he breaks out into yet another grin.

"Don't worry, I'm just joking." He tells them, "Hussein probably should've warned you about me, this is just the way that I am. Now that I know Ms Dutt is taken, should I be shifting my efforts to you instead?" he asks Amiya, an eyebrow raised.

"No, no, I'm taken too," Amiya tells him hurriedly, "No need at all to flirt with me."

"Are you sure? I could always help to make your boyfriend jealous." HJ offers in a helpful tone of voice.

"Knowing Mr Bhadro, it would probably just make him back off in order to allow me to be happy instead." Amiya grumbles, causing Asha to laugh and HJ to look at them blankly.

"I think we have a lot to catch up on together." He tells them cheerfully, "I'll go and get a coffee and we can start right now."

It is a few days later that they have their first joint action together with HJ, they've been warned about one of the villages near the current line of control being invaded and they plan to be there to ensure it doesn't happen.

"You should wish me all the best," HJ tells them as they all get ready in the morning, "This is going to be my first real experience of battle."

"Then be serious about it, and don't allow yourself to be distracted by anything." Asha advises him, "Especially not any pretty Bangladeshi girls."

HJ grins, winks at her, and moves off to find his proper place in the formation.

As soon as they arrive in the village, Asha and Amiya get to work, organising the villagers. They arrange for the evacuation to start, beginning with children and the elderly, giving everybody numbers and telling them to be patient as they wait for the trucks to arrive.

Everything is going according to plan, as the rest of the soldiers set up defenses and the evacuation continues when suddenly all hell breaks loose. Asha curses as she realises that the other side must have worked out what their plans were and decided to attack early.

Having no other choice she and Amiya shout above the commotion, telling the remaining villagers to head for the school building in order to take cover. Around them, everybody else takes up defensive positions, getting their weapons to the ready.

"Sir, where do you want us?" Asha shouts to her immediate superior officer above the noise, "Should we stay with the villagers or join the rest of you in setting up defenses?"

"Stay with the villagers, we'll need you to keep them calm and stop them from doing anything stupid." He tells her, and she dashes towards the building where they're sheltering, joining Amiya who is waiting for her by the door.

"And now we wait," Amiya comments, a worried look on her face, "For whatever is going to happen next."

They settle down with those that haven't been evacuated, trying to ignore the sounds of the battle raging outside, and keep those in the school building distracted.

It is later on, when they hear a shout from outside of 'Masks!' and Asha realises with horror that they must have started to bombard the village with the cannisters of poison gas that they've started to use lately. While Amiya and Asha both have gas masks with them as part of their gear, the villagers do not. If they were to take them out and put them on now then everybody would panic, possibly leading to them endangering their lives by running out in the open.

"What do we do?" Amiya whispers to Asha, unsure of what the best option is.

"For now we remain calm and hope for the best." Asha tells her. "Keep your mask at the ready, and if we need to use it…"

"Then we do so leaving everybody else to die?" Amiya asks emotionally, "How can I make that decision… how can I?"

Asha isn't comfortable about making such a decision either, there are children in the crowd, mothers, fathers. Can she simply leave them to their fate if that is the choice, because she has a gas mask and they don't?

"We pray for the best." She tells Amiya finally, "We hope that we don't have to make a choice."

They clutch each others hands momentarily and Asha thinks of Dhiraj, picturing him in her mind and finding that it gives her a feeling of calm, of strength. She will make it through this, she will return to him.

One of the villagers comes to them, having spotted them whispering worriedly and wondering what is wrong. They quickly try to reassure them that everything is going to plan, that the village will not fall to the invaders. Asha and Amiya separate, moving around the room to comfort those who are frightened.

There is a brief period of silence, in which Asha hopes that they have won, and then it is broken by the startling sound of a gas canister breaking through the glass of the window, clattering to the ground on the floor.

In the split second it takes for Asha to make her decision, Amiya has already moved. Closer to the cannister than Asha is, she grabs it and runs for the door, flinging it open and running out. Asha runs after her, praying that Amiya will be able to dispose of it in time, that the gas won't release until she's thrown it away. By the time Asha gets outside she sees Amiya standing by the pond at the back of the school, obviously having just thrown the canister into it.

"You're fine, aren't you?" Asha asks Amiya, scared out of her wits, "The gas didn't release until after you threw it?"

"Of course I'm fine, nothing can happen to me." Amiya tells her with a smile.

Then she collapses to the ground convulsing.

Asha holds her hand as they are evacuated back to the field camp which is at a short distance. There is an antidote to the gas, and if they can just get there on time…

"Just hold on," she tells Amiya, "Don't even think about dying, don't you dare. I know you would've only gotten a small dose of the gas, and you're strong… nothing can happen to you."

She knows she's crying, and wipes at the tears angrily, because nothing can happen to Amiya, nothing…

"If I die… then tell Samir…" Amiya starts saying, as her entire body convulses with tremours, "No wait, don't tell him anything, it's not really up to that stage yet."

"I'm not going to tell him anything because you're not going to die!" Asha tells her, "You can damn well tell him whatever it is that you want to when we're both back safely at Tawang."

"But if I do die," Amiya tells her weakly, "And he says something…. Well, you know… then you can always make something up to tell him, I won't mind."

Even as she cries, Asha laughs at this, "You can't even be serious when you're gravely injured, can you?" she asks Amiya, who tries to smile, but is now having more trouble controlling her facial muscles at all as the gas does its job.

They pull up outside the base hospital, and as Amiya is taken in on a stretcher, Asha runs ahead, searching for a doctor. Finding one, she tugs on her arm, forcing her to turn around.

"Ma'am, ma'am, my friend has inhaled some of the gas from the cannisters they were bombarding us with... she needs help, she needs the antidote right away, please save her ma'am, please…"

She is crying again now, so distraught that she doesn't notice the look of shock that the doctor gives her.

However no matter what, all doctors are trained to be professionals, and forgetting her own feelings she springs into action, shouting at one of the nurses to bring the antidote and running forward to examine Amiya as she is brought in on a stretcher, checking her pulse and the movement of her eyes.

When the prepared needle is brought forward she injects the young soldier quickly, before shouting out more orders, making sure that she is taken to a room and that the rest of the treatment will be started as soon as possible.

Turning to Asha, she controls herself and begins to speak. "Don't worry, you've brought her in time, your friend will be just fine."

"Thank you so much, ma'am." Asha tells her gratefully, "You have no idea what you've done for me."

But Shalini is unable to reply, to tell the girl who looks so remarkably like Naina exactly what those words mean to her.

Because for the past twenty five years, her greatest regret was that she was never able to do anything to help her.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

_It has been a year since Shalini had last seen her, and she had doubted whether Naina would turn up at all. But here she is, dressed in a formal outfit, and with a smile on her face… even if it doesn't quite reach her eyes. None of them have seen much of her for the past year as she has mainly been posted at the border… coming back on leave only occasionally._

_"I'm so happy you came, Naina." Yudi tells her, "We didn't know if you could make it… Would you be one of our witnesses?"_

_She nods, and gives him a tight hug, before turning to Shalini and hugging her as well._

_The ceremony is brief, and at the end when Naina signs as a witness, Shalini sees her wipe her eyes slightly, as if to stop the tears falling on the page._

_She turns to them at the end, grasping both of their hands._

_"Never forget how lucky you are," she tells them, "You have the opportunity to be with the one you love… never let that go. I want you to be happy together always."_

_And Shalini had felt that if for no other reason, they owed it to Naina to live happily ever after._

As Shalini watches Asha sitting by Amiya's bedside, holding her still unconscious friend's hand, she can't help but shake the feeling that yes… this really is their Naina, returned after such a long time.

The same face, the same voice, the same look of desperation in her eyes as she asked Shalini to save a friend…

It had cut her like a knife.

Twenty one years… it had been twenty one years since the last time she had seen Naina's face, and that time she had already been dead.

Almost twenty two years since Shalini had seen her alive, and she still couldn't forget her, even for a moment.

Because in many ways, Naina had been the one who had made Shalini's life what it was today. Naina… because everything began and ended with Naina.

Everything had begun and ended with Naina for Rajveer…

He had lived for her, and he had died for her. Shalini hadn't needed to be there at the time to know that his last thoughts, his last words, would have only been about her.

And Naina… In her slow, incredibly painful non-death she had affected all of their lives, taught them what love truly was. Love which didn't ask anything, didn't require anything of the other person, love which never faltered or questioned. She had continued loving him even when there was no hope of ever being with him, had never even considered loving anyone else.

It was that love… that Shalini had never been able to forget.

After Captain Rajveer's death, all of their lives had changed, they had realised how short life could be, and how unreliable. It was two and a half years later that Shalini and Yudi had finally gotten married in a simple court ceremony, surrounded by their friends.

His parents hadn't approved.

Hers hadn't either.

At the time it had been enough that they loved each other, understood each other, they had thought that they could take on the world, overcome all obstacles.

But it hadn't been that easy.

Shalini was older than him… his senior officer too. She knew that there must have been comments, hurtful ones that Yudi would've had to deal with. For awhile it was fine, both of them ignored the people who questioned their relationship, but eventually the cracks began to appear. Even if he wasn't worried about what people said, she worried about him worrying. Small fights turned into big ones, silences grew longer, and finally it had looked as if their marriage wouldn't last at all.

And then… Naina had died.

They had realised exactly how stupid and ungrateful they were both being. When they had this chance… a chance that Naina would've given anything for, how could they think about wasting it, about letting the views of others separate them?

They had cried in each others arms the night that Naina died, and promised each other that from that time on, they would ensure that no misunderstandings came between them.

Eventually they had adopted their two daughters, Tara and Roshni, and Shalini had to admit, that yes, her life had been happy.

But she had never forgotten Naina, or Rajveer, or the tragedy of their love for each other.

And now there was this girl, with her haunting too wise eyes, and her spirit and determination, and the wounds were made fresh as memories started flooding back.

Shalini thinks she might be going crazy… but it honestly feels as if this girl might be Naina after all.

It is when Samir is reading the daily update of developments in the war that he turns pale, the colour draining out of his face, and Dhiraj reaches out a hand to steady him, panicking at the expression on his friend's face as he knows… that whatever has happened must relate to either Asha or Amiya.

"Samir, what is it?" he asks him desperately, "Tell me what happened?"

But Samir seems incapable of speaking for the moment and so Dhiraj grabs the document off him, quickly finding the list of those killed and wounded in action. Sighing in relief when neither of their names are in the killed in action list, he moves to the list of those wounded, finally finding Amiya's name near the top.

Dhiraj turns to Samir who is still noticeably white, clasping his shoulder. "It's alright," he tells him, "She's only wounded… she'll be fine. You know how strong she is, she's probably joking with Asha about it right now."

Even as he says it, Dhiraj is still worried, he's grown attached to Amiya over the past months, and not just as Asha's best friend. She's such a sweet girl, so full of life, and things are so much quieter and emptier here without her.

He also feels for Samir, he knows that his best friend has a definite soft spot for Amiya even if he hasn't said anything yet. Dhiraj wonders if this might be just the shock that is needed to make Samir admit what it is that he feels, tell the truth about it.

And Asha… he knows that Asha would've been close to Amiya when it happened, that she's in equal danger. He knows that she must be suffering right now, watching her best friend suffer and he wishes that he could be there for her right now in order to support her.

Dhiraj is still clutching Samir's shoulder, as he watches his friend struggle with his emotions, fear and worry appearing on his face when Hussein runs into the room, his own face mirroring theirs. They stand up to greet him, praying that he'll know something about the situation.

"Did you hear…?" he pants, out of breath, "Amiya…."

"We just found out right now," Dhiraj tells him, knowing that he has to be the one to speak, "Do you know what happened to her?"

"I just came from Uncle Aalekh's office…" Hussein tells him, "I went there as soon as I found out. He says there was a poison gas attack… Amiya saved an entire building of civilians by disposing the canister, but inhaled some of it at the time. She's stable now but…"

Samir takes a shuddering sigh at this, collapsing into his chair heavily. "Poison gas?" he asks Hussein, "But she…"

"She got the antidote on time… but she'll still be critical for the next few hours." Hussein tells him, trying to be reassuring, "There's nothing that we can do for now except pray for her… Captain Kapoor, I was wondering if you would be able to call Asha and see if she's alright?"

Dhiraj nods, incredibly thankful to Hussein for suggesting it but not wanting to leave Samir alone at a time like this, however Hussein has handled the situation before he can even question it.

"Samir, do you want to come with me to give me some company?" Hussein asks him, "I thought I might go and offer some prayers for Amiya's quick recovery."

Samir just nods, still not trusting himself to speak, and Hussein takes a hold of his arm, steering him away and throwing a look over his shoulder to tell Dhiraj that he'll manage things.

Dhiraj gives him a grateful nod, letting him know that he's understood, and then sprints for the nearest secure phone line, not giving up until the officer on duty allows him to make a call even though he hasn't booked one beforehand or received prior permission for it.

He is connected through to Asha's base, and waits as they call her to the phone, breathing heavily as the expectation of hearing her voice grows.

When she comes on the line, her quiet questioning hello is said in a trembling voice, and he can tell that she's exhausted, drained both emotionally and physically.

"Asha," his voice comes out as no more than a whisper, and before he can say anything else she has burst into tears, her sobs coming clearly down the line to him.

"Dhiraj…" she sobs, "Dhiraj, Amiya… I just can't…."

She must have been holding herself together until this point, staying strong for the sake of her friend, and it is now when she is speaking to him that she allows herself to break down. She has always felt safe with him, supported, from the very beginning. It is from him that she draws her strength, and now is when she needs him the most.

"Asha… Asha…" Dhiraj feels so powerless trying to comfort her on the other end of a telephone line. If he had been with her he could have held her, stroked her hair, planted kisses on her forehead, comforted her until she was quiet again. Here, all he has to reach out to her is his voice and words are now failing him. "Asha, she'll be fine, I know she will be. Amiya is so strong, so full of life, nothing can harm her."

"I know she'll be fine…" Asha tells him, sobbing slightly less now, "She has a good doctor… and she's expected to make a full recovery. It's just that there was nothing I could do. In that split second… I couldn't stop her, couldn't help her, couldn't save her. I was completely powerless and I felt as if…"

"Nothing has happened to her," he repeats, trying to remain calm, "She's going to be her normal self very soon, just wait and see. Soon… soon you'll be back here with us, and everything will be fine."

But it is her next words that surprise him, shock him even.

"I need you, Dhiraj." She tells him, her breath catching on the words, "I don't know how to do this without you… I need you to be with me."

He wants to punch the wall next to the phone, he wants to scream in both frustration and triumph, he wishes she was here so that he could grab her and kiss her until she understands exactly how much he needs her as well.

"Asha… I am always with you." He tells her instead, keeping his voice calm with a great deal of effort, "I'm going to talk to the Brigadier… ask for you to come back. With Amiya injured she'll need to be transferred out and you can't continue to work without a partner. It's been enough now… it's time for you to come back with Amiya." He pauses, searching for the words, "This isn't easy for me Asha… every day… I can't…"

There is a silence as they both absorb the words of the other.

"I should get back to Amiya…" she tells him, "I know you're with me… I'll stay strong, until…"

She doesn't finish the last sentence, but he knows what she's going to say.

Until she comes back to him.

Later in the day HJ comes in to join Asha as she sits with Amiya, sitting in the empty chair beside her.

"Hussein is going to kill me," he tells her, "I was meant to look after the two of you."

Asha gives a short laugh at this, "I really don't think this is your responsibility, HJ." She tells him, "You couldn't have prevented it from happening."

"Still…." He says, "I only just met you two a few days ago and already I feel as if I should be looking after you." He stops, and smiling, attempts to brighten the mood. "Are you sure you don't want to leave your Captain and run away with me?"

Asha smiles at this, knowing that he's just joking. "Are you ever serious?" she asks him, "I mean, have you ever been serious about any girl?"

"Of course," HJ tells her, growing serious for a moment, "There was a girl at my academy, Riti. I really liked her, was completely serious about her, but she didn't believe me, thought I was just joking. I'm still trying to prove it to her."

"Well maybe you should stop flirting with other girls then." Asha suggests to him, still with a small smile.

"But then I wouldn't be HJ, would I?" he asks her, "This is my style."

"What's your full name?" Asha asks him with a slight frown as she realises she doesn't know it, "Why are you called HJ?"

"Well my full name is actually Jaideep Huda." HJ tells her proudly, "But all of my friends used to call me Huda for short. However this got confusing because all of my father's friends also called him Huda, and nobody could work out who they were talking about. So they started referring to me as Huda Junior, but that's way too long to say every time, so Hussein shortened it to HJ instead."

He says the whole thing without taking a breath and Asha stares at him amazed, and then smiles.

"You must have gotten your flirting skills from your father." She tells him, "And your personality too."

"Of course!" HJ replies proudly, "You know until now, my father is the biggest flirt that KMA has ever seen! He's still discussed there as an example to all!"

Asha laughs, "He would be so proud about that." She tells HJ, not sure exactly how it is that she knows.

"He certainly is." HJ agrees, and then in silence they go back to watching Amiya.

As Hussein and Samir come out of the masjid, Hussein notices with relief that Samir looks calmer, but only slightly. He had to control his own panic when he heard about Amiya, trusting that nothing would happen to her, that she would remain safe. He had bound a taweez for her with his own hands, his faith could not be betrayed.

Samir looks lost, almost devastated, as if he's just realised how close he came to losing something precious to him and Hussein knows he shouldn't leave him alone just yet. He could either send him back to Dhiraj or keep him with him for awhile longer.

"Do you want to come with me now?" Hussein asks him carefully, and Samir looks up as if having forgotten that he was there.

"Where are you going?" Samir asks him.

"The Gurudwara… I was brought up with both of my parents' faiths… I figure it won't hurt to pray for Amiya according to both."

Samir nods, and follows Hussein as they begin walking in the right direction.

"She will be fine, you know." Hussein tells him gently.

"I know…" Samir replies, "It's just…."

"That you hadn't realised you might lose her." Hussein finishes the sentence for him, "Before you had even done anything about it."

Samir looks up as if shocked, "No, it's not that," he says hastily, "It's just that…"

"Why not?" Hussein asks him, "Don't you think that sometimes it's important to realise what you have before you lose it?"

Samir stares at him, as if Hussein has said something he had never considered before.

Hussein just hopes that he's ready to face the facts by the time Amiya comes back.

It is in the evening, that Shalini finally works up the courage to make the call. After asking Asha, she's found out the two of them have come from Tawang Base, the same base that Aalekh, Abhimanyu and Hussein are based at.

Could it be possible…

Could…

So she dials his number.

"Hi Aalekh," she tells him when he picks up, "It's Shalini here."

"It's good to hear from you! How are you? Where are you posted these days?" Aalekh asks her, enthusiasm clear in his voice.

"Actually I just received my new posting… they transferred me to Bangladesh temporarily since they didn't have enough doctors here to cope with the casualties."

She can practically hear him thinking… and she begins to suspect that yes, he really does know… he knows…..

"HJ is here too," she tells him, "I met him today."

Aalekh is silent, he's waiting, she knows he is.

"And there are two girls too… friends of Hussein's. I met them when Amiya was brought to me injured. Aalekh…." She can't quite bring herself to say it, not sure whether she should feel ridiculous for considering such a thing, "Aalekh, I need to ask…."

"About Asha…" he finishes. There is a long pause, and then. "About Naina."

And Shalini takes in a deep breath.

"Tell me." She practically commands him.

So he does.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

_Shalini watched the young couple in front of her, the girl leaning tiredly on the boy's shoulder, and her heart ached for them. Both of them looked so exhausted, so heart sickeningly sad that she had no idea how to help them. How could she, when she herself…_

_"Please do something for her," Ali had begged Shalini, "She hasn't slept properly for days, she can barely eat."_

_"We could always change your room…" Shalini had told her, "Even if just for a few days. You could get a proper sleep…"_

_"Never," Pooja had broken in tiredly, finally speaking, "I won't cut my connection with Naina, no matter what. We're all she has now, and…" she trailed off, and Shalini was worried she might start crying, something that Shalini felt dangerously close to doing herself. She knew that Pooja was barely coping, trying to support Naina when her friend wasn't even capable of speaking. She knew what it was that kept Pooja awake at night, the tears that Naina would never allow herself to express during the day but which at night never seemed to stop…_

_"Then I'll give you some pills." Shalini tells her, "But take them carefully, make sure that you use them sparingly, they can be addictive."_

_Pooja had nodded tiredly and Ali had held out his hand, taking the pills for her. Shalini had known that he would make sure she took them._

_Then they had walked off together, Pooja still leaning heavily on him, barely able to walk due to exhaustion._

_Watching them, Shalini can no longer hold her tears back._

_How much longer can they all pretend to be strong for?_

_How much longer can they try to support their friend without breaking themselves?_

"I'm not leaving Asha here alone." Amiya repeats stubbornly for the fifth time since Shalini had brought up the possibility and she finds herself marvelling at the girl's resilience.

In some ways, she reminds her remarkably of Pooja. The same spark, the same dedication to her friend. Shalini wonders whether Asha and Amiya became such good friends because Asha was also reminded of Pooja when she met the girl… Whether there is a part of her that remembers, however small it is.

"Arre Ammu, she won't be alone, she'll have me with her." HJ tries to tell Amiya reassuringly. "I'll look after her for you."

"Do you want to have your good looks spoiled by a very jealous Captain who'll break your nose?" Amiya asks HJ sarcastically, glaring at him to tell him that he's not helping. "No, right? Then keep out of it."

HJ tries not to look amused at this, as Asha, who has been sitting quietly by the bed until this point, reaches out to take Amiya's hand.

"Amiya, you know that it's not possible for me to go with you if you're evacuated back to Tawang for medical treatment." She tells her calmly, "What would the excuse be? I've got to do my duty here, and I want you to recover properly. Do you know how worried your family is? I've had to reassure both your parents and your sisters that you'll be fine."

Amiya becomes quite emotional at the mention of her family, thinking about what they must have gone through when they heard. "How are they?" she asked Asha, "I know they must be worried… but I can't leave you, I can't."

Seeing that she's becoming overwrought, and knowing that she shouldn't stress herself too much in the state she's in, Shalini makes a sign to the other two before quickly injecting Amiya with a light tranquiliser.

Realising slightly too late what Shalini has done, all Amiya can do is glare at her before sighing.

"I won't leave…" she repeats stubbornly, but with less force as the tranquiliser begins to take effect, "But I do miss home…" she adds a bit wistfully, and Asha squeezes her hand, tears coming to her eyes.

"And I miss Samir…" Amiya continues, obviously no longer fully aware of what it is she's saying. "And I miss Hussein and Captain Kapoor too… but not like that." She turns her gaze to Asha then, now obviously fully under the effects of the drugs, "But you know that," she tells Asha, and giggles slightly before she abruptly falls asleep. Sighing, Asha reaches out and smoothes Amiya's hair back before settling back in her chair.

Seeing them together, Shalini believes more than ever that in both lifetimes Naina has gotten the friends that she truly deserved.

"Can't you do something?" Hussein asks Aalekh and Abhimanyu a bit desperately as he sits with them in Abhimanyu's office. "Amiya needs to come back… and she's refusing to without Asha. Even I think Asha should come back with her, we can't just leave her there alone."

Abhimanyu gave a tired sigh and rubbed his forehead, even he had been thinking about this since the morning. "Hussein, no matter who it is that Asha is for us, you know that I can't show favouritism." He told him, "What about the rest of our soldiers who are there? How will they feel if Asha is evacuated along with Amiya and they're not?"

Hussein was torn, he knows that Abhimanyu is right… but to leave Asha there alone even if another partner can be assigned to her… HJ was there, but she barely knew him. Hussein was also very much aware that if Amiya came back and Asha was left by herself, the very fragile state that Dhiraj was currently in was going to get even worse. Since the news of Amiya's accident, he had barely spoken except to try to keep Samir's spirits up, and Hussein knew that he was dangerously close to breaking point.

"Please Uncle… if not for Asha's sake then for Dhiraj's." Hussein had pleaded one more time, "He needs her back here, I don't know how much longer he can cope for."

It is with this last appeal that Hussein thinks he has finally succeeded, as he sees the brief look of guilt appear on Abhimanyu's face as he thinks about his friend. Hussein knows how much it has tortured him, that he could never do anything to help either of them. He feels bad about manipulating the older man's feelings, but at the moment he will do anything to get her back safe and sound.

Hussein watches as Abhimanyu's resolve breaks, and the older man looks searchingly towards Aalekh.

"Aalekh…?" he begins to say questioningly.

"Bring her back, Sir." Aalekh says, his voice thick with emotion. "Find some excuse, any excuse, but bring her back."

And Abhimanyu nods, his mind suddenly made up.

Even if he's breaking protocol, being unprofessional, there is no other option for him.

Amiya wakes up with a headache to find Asha dozing by her bedside, half asleep in her chair. Sensing Amiya's movement, Asha opens her eyes, and smiles at her friend.

"Dr Shalini tranquilised me again, didn't she?" Amiya asks Asha, "I wish she wouldn't keep doing that."

"She had to… you know you're not supposed to get too stressed at the moment." Asha tells her, pouring a cup of water for Amiya to drink and passing it to her.

Amiya sips the water from the cup, and then grimaces at a sudden memory, "I said something… didn't I?" she asks Asha, "Did I embarrass myself?"

"Only slightly…" Asha tells her, "You said that you missed Samir, and that you missed Hussein and Dhiraj too, 'but not in that way'."

Amiya groans at her own behaviour while Asha tries not to smile, knowing that her friend won't appreciate it.

"No more tranquilising me ever again, please." Amiya requests her, "I already embarrass myself enough while I'm fully conscious without needing to do it while I'm half unconscious."

Asha laughs properly at this, and Amiya starts giggling too when the door opens and Shalini walks in with HJ, smiling to find them looking so happy for once.

"You're not going to tranquilise me again are you?" Amiya asks her worriedly, "Please don't."

"Don't worry, Aunty Shalini isn't going to have to tranquilise you after she gives you the next news, Ammu!" HJ tells her with a grin.

Ignoring the new nickname he's found for her, Amiya focuses on the other part of the sentence. "Aunty Shalini?" she asks him, "HJ, you're just like Hussein, you've got way too many uncles and aunts in the army."

"Well Hussein's uncles and aunts are my uncles and aunts too…" HJ explains, "Except in the case of our parents of course, well, you understand…"

"Yes, of course I understand." Amiya tells him, rolling her eyes, "I'm not dumb, and… and what news?" she suddenly asks, realising the last bit of the sentence she had missed.

"You and Asha will both be leaving tomorrow," Shalini tells them both with a smile that seems a little sad, "You're heading back to Tawang."

Amiya shrieks with excitement and throws her arms around Asha, hugging her tightly before she turns back to Shalini.

"But how…" she asks, "Thank you so much Aunty Shalini!"

Shalini struggles not to laugh at this, "Don't thank me." She tells her, "I only did a small amount towards it, Hussein has been working hard to convince Brigadier Chauhan to bring you back."

"Hooray for Hussein having so many aunts and uncles in the army!" Amiya declares, "I knew it would come in handy one day."

Asha has been unable to speak so far, she's so full of both happiness and relief. While she had been trying to be brave for Amiya's sake, she has dreaded the idea of being left behind without Amiya. Her friend is the only one that has managed to keep her sane here, creating light in the darkness that surrounds them.

And Dhiraj… the thought of seeing him again makes her heart suddenly light as she struggles to contain the excitement. All that she wants right now is for him to put his arms around her and never let go. These weeks have been such torture without him, that she hopes a moment never comes again when she has to leave him. The thought of living without him…

She can no longer even consider the possibility.

Seeing the quiet glow on Asha's face, the happiness, Amiya reaches out to take her hand.

"Why don't you go and call Hussein to thank him on my behalf." Amiya suggests, knowing fully that Hussein will not be the first one that Asha will talk to.

Asha nods silently and squeezing Amiya's hand, leaves the room.

"You know, I'm going to miss you two." HJ tells Amiya, "I hope we'll get posted together again soon."

"I hope so too," Amiya tells him sincerely, "You're a fun guy to have around, it would be great if you could be posted with us and Hussein."

"I've gotten so used to you two in a few days…" HJ tells her, "I mean it was weird at first, Asha looking so much like Naina, but I got used to it."

"Naina?" Amiya asks him, confused. "She doesn't look like Naina. I've met Naina, and they don't look anything alike." As she stares at him, she sees a look of panic briefly crossing Dr Shalini's face and wonders what she's worried about.

"No not that Naina," HJ continues, "I know they don't look anything alike. I was talking about…"

"HJ!" Shalini exclaims sharply, "I don't really think that Amiya needs to hear all this while she's still unwell."

"But Hussein never told me I couldn't mention it to Amiya, he just said I shouldn't tell Asha." HJ says with a shrug.

"But I…." Amiya starts to say, but Shalini is already pushing HJ out the door, the same worried look on her face.

"We'll just leave you to get some rest." She tells Amiya, and they're gone too quickly for her to ask anything else.

Amiya stared at the now closed door, thoroughly confused. Apparently Asha looked like somebody called Naina, and nobody wanted her to find out. Hussein had even told HJ specifically not to mention it…

It is then that Amiya suddenly remembers Naina Sharma talking about the meaning of hers and Hussein's names, and how they had been named after friends of their parents.

Could it be that this is the Naina that HJ is referring to?

Suddenly Amiya remembers something that she had long since forgotten with everything that had happened since, something that had confused her at the time.

When they had rescued Captain Kapoor and he had been only half conscious, he had called Asha by the name Naina.

The more pieces of the puzzle that came together, the more that it confused and worried Amiya.

But if there was somebody that knew, somebody that would clear up her confusion, she suddenly had the feeling that it would be Hussein.

"Dhiraj, they're coming back." Samir announces to him, a look of utter happiness on his face. "Hussein just told me, they'll both be back tomorrow, Brigadier Chauhan has managed it somehow."

Without waiting to hear anything else, Dhiraj throws his arms around Samir and hugs him tightly with relief, and Samir hugs him back equally as tightly.

"I think I could go and hug Brigadier Chauhan myself right now," Dhiraj tells Samir, "He has no idea what it is that he's done for me."

Samir laughs at this, "Maybe you'd better not," he tells Dhiraj, "Or before you know it, you'll be transferred off base before they're both back."

"We should celebrate." Dhiraj tells him impulsively, "Where's Hussein? I want to thank him, I know he must have had something to do with this."

"I'll go and get Hussein." Samir tells him, "And then we'll start thinking about how to welcome them home."

He leaves with a smile on his face, it's the first time that Dhiraj has seen him smile in days, and he can't help but also grin, because she's coming back, coming back to him.

"You look happy," Captain Sunita Shergill tells him as she passes by, "This is the first time I've seen you look happy in days."

"As… Lieutenants Dutt and Chatterjee are being sent back to Tawang." Dhiraj tells her, still smiling and unable to contain his happiness, "They'll arrive tomorrow."

"I'm surprised actually… considering that Lieutenant Chatterjee is the only one that was injured." Captain Shergill tells him with a knowing look. "How did you manage to convince Brigadier Chauhan to bring your girlfriend back too?" she asks a bit disapprovingly.

Dhiraj just stares at her, his expression hardening. "First of all… I don't appreciate you gossiping about me and Lieutenant Dutt." He tells her, "Secondly, I had nothing to do with her being sent back."

"Oh come on, Dhiraj." Sunita says to him, rolling her eyes, "Practically the whole base knows about the two of you. You've made enough scenes over her in the past."

Dhiraj is just about to retort angrily when an orderly approaches him, saluting. He turns to the man, looking at him quizzically.

"You have a phone call, Sir." The man announces, and without him having to say who it is, Dhiraj already knows. She'll be letting him know that she's coming back to him safe and sound, that within a day she'll be back where she belongs… by his side.

Dhiraj spares one glance for Captain Shergill, "Excuse me," he tells her before leaving, not really caring what it is that she thinks now. He makes his way to the phone as quickly as possible, wanting to run but limiting himself to a jog with much difficulty.

"Asha," he says into the phone when he picks it up without even checking that it's her, "Asha, I heard that…"

"I'm coming back…" she tells him, "We're both coming back. We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. There's so much that I want to… I mean, I…" and unable to express what she wants to say, especially on the phone, she lets out a slight sob. "I've missed you so much." She finally tells him.

"When you get back, I'll…" he starts to say, and then realises it's not the type of thing that he can tell her on the phone. If he had been confused about his feelings before she left then the effects of her absence has made them perfectly clear. When she comes back, he plans to tell her everything.

He is no longer willing to remain silent, to wait for a better time. He's not sure why, but he feels like waiting would be a mistake. Nobody can tell what the future will bring, Amiya's near death experience has proved that. He won't lose Asha, he can't, and he won't lose the time that he has with her, especially when it's so precious. He feels a dread at the thought of waiting, and he knows that his patience has finally run out.

He doesn't know why… but he feels that it was meant to be.

It's time that he took control of his own destiny.

He feels as if he has waited a lifetime for this moment, but no matter how long it took…

She will be his.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

_"You really don't have any idea how to behave with girls, do you?" Naveen had asked Raj despairingly, "Can't you take some lessons from me?"_

_Raj had laughed softly, not upset at all by the comment._

_"She just wasn't my type, Naveen." He told his friend, "When I find somebody I want to fall in love with, then I'll make an effort."_

_"And when will that be?" Abhimanyu had teased him, "When you're fifty? Or perhaps in your next lifetime?"_

_They had all laughed together over the comment, since Raj's shyness around girls was well known._

_"Whenever it is, one thing is for sure. If Raj ever falls in love then he'll fall harder than the two of us combined, Chauhan." Naveen had joked, "It's always the quiet ones who have the memorable love stories."_

_Raj had just shaken his head at his friends' antics, laughing along with them._

_He hadn't taken Naveen's words seriously…_

_How could he have known how true they would turn out to be?_

Early the next morning, Asha and Amiya had bid goodbye to Shalini and HJ as well as Vijay, Akash and the rest of the translators that had accompanied them. Ever since HJ's comment about Asha looking like Naina, Amiya had been on alert for anything out of the ordinary and watching Shalini farewell them, the emotional look on the Doctor's face, she found it.

It just wasn't… normal.

Then again, nothing had been normal about Asha since the time they had arrived in Tawang all those months ago and met Dhiraj. Now when they were finally about to head home, as well as the excitement of seeing Samir and their friends again, Amiya felt a sense of anticipation. Somehow she felt that whatever she could find out from Hussein would be important, the missing piece of a puzzle she had been trying to put together for a long time.

However Amiya had a nagging suspicion that getting that information out of him was going to be far from easy judging from what HJ had said.

She had a feeling that whatever was hidden in the past was very much connected with Asha's future.

No matter what, she was going to find out the truth.

The journey back was quiet since Dr Shalini had sedated Amiya for it, Asha watched over her friend as Amiya murmured quietly in her imposed sleep, occasionally reaching out to brush back a lock of her hair or adjust her arms.

Mainly she wished that there was another way to pass the time, to distract her from thoughts of what would happen once she returned. She found it difficult to sit still, wishing that she could pace up and down, do anything to get rid of the nervous energy that was stored inside her.

It was so long since she had last seen his face… and yet every time she closed her eyes it appeared before her. Now that she was so close to returning to him, she ached for his touch even more, she wanted him to comfort her, hold her and tell her that he would never let her go. Asha had never been the type of girl to want somebody to look after her or rely on men, but whenever she thought of Dhiraj, she felt such a sense of safety that she never wanted him to leave her side.

If the time away from him had taught her anything, then it was that there was no point in trying to resist her feelings, it only made them stronger.

She was returning to him safely, just as she had promised to.

Asha swore now, that she would never break any promise that she made to Dhiraj.

She would return to him again and again, and no power in the world would be able to stop her.

Dhiraj and Samir both waited nervously, neither speaking. Samir had managed to break a mug in the mess that morning, so distracted that he had missed the edge of the table while trying to place it down. Dhiraj hadn't said a word about it, he knew that it could've just as easily happened to him. In the meeting they had attended that morning, both of them had been uncharacteristically quiet, offering few comments on the recent developments.

Now with only half an hour until Asha and Amiya were due to return, they were fast running out of ways to distract themselves. They had already decided that preparing recent patrol reports and looking for patterns was a bad idea since both of them were unable to concentrate properly.

Instead Samir pretends to be studying satellite photos of the other side of the border with troop movements outlined on it, while Dhiraj can not even bring himself to do that.

First he will see her… see for himself that she is alive, and well and healthy…

And then…

With a frustrated sigh, Samir finally puts the satellite photo down, having realised that he's been staring at it without really seeing anything for the last five minutes.

"Can't they arrive any faster?" he complains, "I'm not able to get any work done."

"Samir… 'thodha dhiraj to rakh, yaar'." Dhiraj tells him with a slight smirk, mimicking Samir's much earlier comment to him.

"It's not as funny when you say it." Samir complains, smiling slightly anyway.

"So tell me something…" Dhiraj says, "When you're so desperate to see her, and you've been so worried… what are you actually going to do about it now that she's back?"

Samir's face goes blank as he considers Dhiraj's question.

"I hadn't actually thought about it," he admits, "It's enough for me that she's coming back safely."

"So you're not going to tell her anything?" Dhiraj asks in disbelief.

"Well… I'll tell her how happy I am that she's back, and that, uh… I'd missed her." Samir says the last line with a slight blush and Dhiraj shakes his head in amazement.

"You're truly hopeless, Samir." He tells him, "Nothing is ever going to happen with you because you're never going to do anything."

"But I can't just…." Samir starts to say, getting embarrassed at the very thought, "I mean I don't know how she feels or whether she…" he stops, and then on seeing Dhiraj trying to hide a smile, glares slightly, "Well what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell her exactly how I feel about her and then I'm not going to let her out of my sight until I absolutely have to." Dhiraj replies very matter of factly with no trace of embarrassment at all.

Samir is still staring at him, trying to work out how to reply to that when Hussein approaches them, sitting down on a spare chair.

"Only fifteen minutes left until they arrive." He announces, and Dhiraj checks his watch on reflex, smiling when he realises that Hussein is right.

"And thank god for that…" Dhiraj murmured, gathering up both his and Samir's things.

"Where are you going?" Samir asks him when Dhiraj heads in the opposite direction of the landing area.

"Well are we going to greet them with satellite photos in our hands?" Dhiraj asks Samir, "We'll drop them in our quarters quickly and then make our way down."

Hussein accompanies them, and they quickly drop off everything before heading towards the landing area, awaiting the arrival of the aircraft.

Colonel Sharma is already waiting there when they arrive, and they all salute him, Dhiraj and Samir slightly self consciously.

"We thought we would come to welcome our friends back since we all have some free time at the moment." Hussein tells Colonel Sharma, sensing that the other two might be worried about what their superior officer thought.

Aalekh hid a smile at this, simply nodding. After he had reassured himself that Naina and her friend were fine he would give them privacy.

The flight touches down, and still sedated, Amiya is brought out on a stretcher by the orderlies and nurse who have accompanied them. Asha is the last one to step out, her eyes searching for the face that she knows will be there.

As soon as her eyes meet Dhiraj's, she feels a flash, a deeper recognition within her of who he is and what he means to her. It feels like she is seeing him after an age and yet it feels like she never left him.

Standing there, his entire face lit up in his happiness to see her, he is the most beautiful sight she has ever seen.

She would die for him.

She is startled by the thought as soon as she has had it, but she realises that it is true. Despite the short time they have known each other, she would die for him in a second. The emotion confuses her, and yet it feels so right that she should feel this way…

Finally pulling her gaze away from Dhiraj, Asha salutes Colonel Sharma.

"We have returned back to Tawang, Sir. We hope that we have managed to make our battalion proud." She tells him for both her and Amiya.

"You have made us very proud." Aalekh tells her emotionally, "I've heard from your superiors there about both yours and Lieutenant Chatterjee's bravery in the battles. You have returned after doing your duty honourably and correctly."

Asha nods, also feeling overcome by emotion. Colonel Sharma's approval has somehow always meant a lot to her. Despite her overwhelming desire to see Dhiraj again, she hadn't wanted to let him down by returning early. She feels relieved by his approval, his pride in them.

"You are all dismissed," Aalekh informs them, "Escort Lieutenant Chatterjee to the hospital wing, after which I'm happy to give all of you the rest of the day off."

He knows he's acting with favouritism.

But right now he doesn't really care.

As the orderlies begin to carry Amiya's stretcher towards the medical wing, Hussein hugs Asha tightly before letting her go. Samir also gives her a light hug, telling her welcome home before they both head towards the medical wing, intending to give Asha and Dhiraj some privacy.

For a moment he just stands there, drinking in the sight of her with his eyes. It has been so long… and for him every moment without her has been like torture, knowing that she's in danger, fearing for her.

Without her there is nothing, and now that she's here again…

Asha tries to keep her breathing steady despite the intense way that Dhiraj is regarding her, however when he reaches out to take both of her hands in his gently, she lets out a shuddering breath, barely able to restrain herself from simply throwing her arms around her.

Very slowly, Dhiraj raises both of her hands, pressing her palms against his cheeks and holding them there tightly. He shut his eyes, content for the moment to simply revel in the feel of her. Just as slowly, he turned his face to kiss the palm of one hand and then the other before he gently lowers them, finally releasing her hands.

"There is so much that I have to tell you," Dhiraj finally said, "But it can wait… I know that first you'll want to see that Amiya is settled comfortably."

Asha nods wordlessly, pleased by his thoughtfulness.

He doesn't hold her hand as they walk up together, conscious of the people who will see them pass by, but he walks so closely to her that there is barely a gap between them. She can feel the heat radiating from his body and colour rises to her cheeks.

So much that he wants to tell her… she can barely stop herself from thinking about what it is. There is so much that she wants to tell him also, about what she's realised about her feelings, about what he means to her. Asha realises now how short and unreliable life can be, she doesn't want to waste another moment when she doesn't have to.

They enter Amiya's room to find that she hasn't woken up yet, Samir and Hussein sitting by her bed quietly. Samir appears to be absorbed in gazing at her, while Hussein pretends not to notice, privately planning to leave as soon as Amiya wakes up.

"She's going to be alright?" Dhiraj asks as they enter, "Will she wake soon?"

"The doctors say that the sedative should wear off in about half an hour." Hussein replies since Samir seems somewhat lost. "Asha… you must be tired, we'll stay here with her, you go and rest."

Asha nods, glancing at Dhiraj as she does so. "Come and get me when Amiya has woken up." She tells Hussein, "And I'll come and check on her."

Hussein nods, although he has no intention to do so. He won't let anything disturb Asha and Dhiraj, and he's sure that Amiya wouldn't want anything to either.

Dhiraj indicates with a tip of his head then for Asha to follow him and she does, not questioning him when he leads her towards his quarters instead of hers.

She would follow him anywhere… even if…

She shook her head slightly, surprised by the familiarity of the thought. She has never thought it before, has she?

Once they have entered Dhiraj's quarters, he shuts the door firmly behind them. There is only a second's gap between that action and him sweeping Asha into his arms, crushing her against him so tightly that she almost can't breathe. Her arms go around him and she hugs him back just as tightly, burying her head into his chest. He's murmuring words into her hair, and she can't understand them properly but she knows that they're soothing words, reassuring words. He's reassuring himself that she really is back with him, that he hasn't lost her.

After what seems like an age, Dhiraj pulls back from her, gazing down at her face. Placing his hands to either side of it, he smoothes his thumbs over her cheeks, gazing into her eyes. It is after a long moment that he finally bends down to kiss her, his lips brushing against hers so reverently that it seems almost like a prayer. He kisses her softly, slowly, as if memorising every detail of her lips. Her mouth parts beneath his, and when she exhales into his mouth, he can't help himself, pressing her even closer he kisses her even more deeply, almost biting her bottom lip in his haste.

He could kiss her forever, but he reminds himself that there are things he has to say, things he had promised himself that he would say. Reluctantly, Dhiraj pulls away from her, and gently leads her towards his bed, sitting her down on it before kneeling in front of her, his hands resting on her knees, gazing up into her face.

Asha gazes down at him, her entire being humming in anticipation. She knows what he will say, and there is a part of her that feels as if she has waited her entire life to hear him say it. To finally hear those words which…

When Dhiraj finally speaks, his voice is hoarse, rough, as if he's struggling with his emotions.

"I can't live without you." He tells her, "I tried to cope, tried to convince myself that I could, that I would be fine while you were gone… but I can't." He leans his head on the tops of her legs then, and she can feel his slow, deep breaths as he struggles to get his feelings under control.

Finally looking up, Dhiraj stands as if to start pacing, and then unable to delay it for any longer, sits beside her on the bed, once again taking her hands in his.

"Asha… I love you." He tells her, and it is so painfully apparent in his eyes that she would've understood without him saying a word, but Asha lets out a sob on finally hearing it, as tears begin to flow from her eyes.

She feels such a relief, such an immense relief. How long has she been holding her breath for, how long has she been waiting to hear these words? She wonders if it is from the moment she first saw him, or even…

As Asha cries, Dhiraj kisses away her tears, smoothing her hair with his hand. "I love you so much," he tells her, his voice even hoarser now as he struggles not to cry himself. "I've never loved anyone this way before… and I never will again."

Asha cries even harder at this, her arms wound tightly around his neck, she cries into his shoulder.

"Won't you say anything?" Dhiraj asks her, indescribably happy that he's finally told her, as if a burden has been lifted off him, as if he's fulfilled his purpose in life. "Won't you…"

"Love…" Asha finally says, between sobs as she struggles to regain control of her emotions. "Is not a strong enough word to describe how I feel for you."

Dhiraj kisses her, the salt of her tears mingling with the sweetness of her lips.

Because really, she has expressed his feelings perfectly too.


End file.
